AmazonSmile in App

Did you know that you can support KRPA Scholarship Association when using the Amazon Shopping app on your phone by signing up for AmazonSmile.  You will make a difference while you shop at no extra cost to you! Simply follow the instructions below to select Kansas Recreation & Park Scholarship Association as your charity and activate AmazonSmile in the app. 

Here's how it works:

1. Open the Amazon app on your phone

2. Select the main menu & tap on AmazonSmile within Programs & Features

3. Select "Kansas Recreation & Park Scholarship Assocation" as your charity

4. Follow the on-screen instructions to activate AmazonSmile in your mobile app

Easy as pie! 

Shawnee County Parks + Recreation

Topeka has so much to offer for a fun day trip or a stay-cation from the recently renovated Kansas Statehouse to the Spirit of Kansas firework show on July 4th. Shawnee County Parks + Recreation is participating in both the Splash Across Kansas and Par Across Kansas program. Plan your visit around local events and make a splash and play the course. Or, you could send part of the family to the aquatic park and others to hit the golf course. Either way, you are sure to enjoy the facilities that  SCP+R have to offer.

Shawnee North Family Aquatic Center is the more popular of Shawnee County Parks + Recreation aquatic centers. Nestled in a wooded setting, it features three separate pools and a very popular Lazy River. Take the youngsters to the separate children's areas, tackle the water slides or float the Lazy River. There is fun for the whole family. Don’t forget to purchase your Splash Across Kansas coupon book for your 2 admissions to this fun aquatic park.

Shawnee County Parks + Recreation has also gracious participated in the Par Across Kansas program with not just one of their golf courses but THREE COURSES. With your purchase of a Par Across Kansas coupon book, you will receive 25% off of green fees* at Lake Shawnee, Forbes and Cypress Ridge Golf Course. Purchase your Par Across Kansas coupon book for discounts to all 3 courses.

Here are some resources to help plan your trip to Topeka: Visit Topeka has a complete list of upcoming events and great places to eat for your trip to Topeka, and check out all the fun events that SCP+R have to offer this summer by clicking here.

*Restrictions: One-time use card, can be used for an entire group (1-5 golfers), not valid for tournaments or special events

Rock River Rapids- Derby

As the largest suburb of Wichita, Derby is an easy mini vacation for anyone in Kansas. Derby’s Rock River Rapids is a must for your summer bucket list. Don’t forget to purchase your Splash Across Kansas card for your visit to Derby’s awesome aquatic park.

Rock River Rapids is a full service aquatic park with concessions, lockers, a bathhouse and gift counter. There are numerous areas at the park liberally equipped with lounge chairs for relaxing. Take a raft ride with a friend or kick up with a ride down one of the slides! Derby Recreation Commission has added a New GREEEN SLIDE this year. (See photo below.) The park also has a lap pool, a lazy river and a zero depth pool for the younger visitors.

Plan your visit to Rock River Rapids around other events going on in Derby. Consider splashing the day away and then attending the 10th Annual Smoke on the Plains: Derby BBQ and Music Fest which runs June 10th-12th. The BBQ and Music Fest is free for the entire family. Proceeds from the event benefit the McConnell AFB Airman and Family Readiness Center. Click here for a complete list of Derby Recreation Commission’s summer events.

Hays Aquatic Park

Sitting right off of I-70, Hays is a great day trip or excursion stop on your vacation drive. Hays Aquatic Park is a great place to adventure and let off some energy. Don’t forget to purchase your Splash Across Kansas card for your visit to Hay’s fun aquatic park.

Hays Aquatic Park is complete with two very challenging slides and a lazy river. It also contains leisure and competition pools with diving boards, concessions, shaded lounging stations and a splash pool for young swimmers.

Plan your visit to Hays Aquatic Park around other events going on in Hays. Consider visiting the latest exhibits at the Sternberg Museum of Natural History. Visit Hays has a complete list of upcoming events and great places to eat for your trip to Hays.

During the recent KRPA Recreation Commission Summit, participants learned that during the 2021 legislative session, the tax lid was removed and the legislature enacted SB 13 and HB 2104. Has SB 13 raised questions for you about creating next year's budget? Or, do you have general budget questions? Join us with a panel of Recreation Commission professionals to answer your questions on June 1st at 2pm. Send your budget questions to Jamie Reed at jamie@krpa.org by May 26, 2021.

Member Call Information

Topic: Recreation Commission Budget Q&A

Time: Jun 1, 2021 02:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

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Making a SPLASH

By Katie Gough

Our family loves exploring Kansas, and we love a good challenge.  In 2017, we dedicated our summer to visiting all the city parks in Wichita (over 100!) and we are currently on a quest to visit a park in every county in Kansas.  When our adventurous boys and I heard about the Splash Across Kansas program, we were so excited. The economics of it appealed to the adults, I mean, two admissions to so many waterparks for only $40?! 

We did make it to all the participating aquatic facilities.  From Liberal to the Kansas City metro area, we traversed the state seeking adventures. 

While we had fun at all of the water parks, we did have our favorites.  Important to us were not only the features of the park, but our interactions with the staff, tidiness of the parks and layout as well.  Most customers look at the big items (like slides), but the details are important as well: shade options for both swimmers and watchers, sidewalk sprayers and availability of rafts were big factors in making our visits a success.

Here are our five favorite water parks:

• ·      Salt City Splash – Hutchinson: The zero-depth entry pool included neat, low chairs set in the water for parents to while watching their kids play in the splash area.  There were two large twisty slides and an Olympic-sized pool with diving boards, drop slide and floating animals. 

• ·      Rock River Rapids – Derby: The facility is top-notch and had all of the features the kids were looking for: thrilling slides, cool splash area, regular swimming pool with floating animals and a lazy river.   The staff are sticklers for the rules, which definitely makes you feel safe!

• ·      City Park Waterpark – Manhattan: This was a unique park with two features we didn’t see at the other parks: the aquabubble (bubble slide) and the stingray (surfing area).  They also had a lazy river and twisty slides.  We almost couldn’t get the kids to leave!

• ·      Long Branch Lagoon – Dodge City: We visited this waterpark last summer as well, and both times the staff at this park were amazing.  The lazy river is an adventure, and the slides are awesome.  
• ·      Midwest Health Aquatic Center – Topeka: The bowtie-shaped wave pool was where we spent most of our visit, but they had great slides and a super kids area as well. 

One note of caution while planning your adventures.  The program went until Labor Day, but not all pools are open that long.  We were planning on concluding our adventures at College Hill Pool in Wichita (since we finished our Wichita city park adventure there), but they closed the week after school started. 

Another note when planning: find out when the break times are for swimming.  We showed up at a pool thinking we had over an hour of swim time right as a twenty-minute break was beginning.  It was very interesting to see the different break structures and lifeguard management at each pool.

All in all, we would do this adventure again next year.  We are so glad the Splash Across Kansas program prompted us to adventure out to discover water parks we didn’t know about. 

  

Kansas Department of Health & Environment has guidance and free testing available to any and all summer camps taking place in Kansas. The state has a supply of rapid, 15-minute antigen tests that can be deployed and used on-site at any camp, regardless of the type of camp. These tests can be used to screen all campers and staff at the beginning of camp, and throughout camp, but can also be used as a diagnostic test for campers and staff who become symptomatic during the camp for quick isolation of positive cases and reducing the number of individuals required to quarantine or otherwise miss camp.

Click here to view a flyer with an overview of what is needed for a camp to obtain these tests. The tests are totally free and Lacey Kennett, Preparedness Public Information Officer, will support and help the individual camps along the way to make it work. The only thing they need from a camp to get started is this simple form from their website returned via email to Lacey.Kennett@ks.gov.

KDHE knows that most people are focused on vaccinations right now, but since most children and teenagers won’t be vaccinated for quite some time, the state is making it a priority to work with camps, summer school, and other places kids and youth with be this summer to keep them as protected as possible.

The park and recreation profession consists of many areas of focus. KRPA has seven different branches: administration, aquatics, park and natural resources, park law, recreation, sports, and wellness. Each of these branches are represented by a board. 

KRPA Branch Boards are structured as a 7 member board (Chair, Vice–Chair, and 5 members at large) for each KRPA Branch. Branch board members are expected to serve a three-year term. Board members help communicate to other KRPA members current trends and topics in their branch field. They will also help coordinate with the KRPA office their yearly branch activities: branch conference sessions, mid-year branch workshops, face-to-face meetings, conference calls and networking events. 

Some branch boards have incumbent members, so we are looking to fill:
6 position for the Parks Branch
4 positions for Park Law (KPLEA) Branch
3 positions for the Wellness Branch

If you would like to get involved, please send the below information to Jamie Reed at jamie@krpa.org by April 9, 2021:

-Nominee's name
-Nominee's agency
-Nominee's title/position
-Branch
-Years as KRPA Member
-A headshot

For more information regarding Branch Board policy, please visit here.