HealthBeat fitness system installed at Cooper Park
The Plant City Parks and Recreation Department announced Sunday the installation of its newest HealthBeat Outdoor Fitness System at Samuel W. Cooper Park, 900 E. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Cooper Park’s HealthBeat system consists of 14 workout stations including an elliptical, parallel bars, a hand cycler, a mobility ramp, balance steps, a stretching station, a cardio stepper, a squat press station, a plyometrics station, tai chi wheels, a chest/back press station, an assisted row/push-ups station, an ab crunch/leg lifts station, and a pull up/dips station. Each station was designed to be ADA compliant and includes an added safety measure in rubber safety surfaces on the ground.
According to the department, the project was funded with a $165,000 allotment from the Community Redevelopment Agency and completed under budget by Rep Services, Inc.
People age 13 and up can get a full-body workout in for free during daylight hours seven days a week. The city’s other HealthBeat Outdoor Fitness System is located at Dr. Hal & Lynn Brewer Park, 1491 Hunter St., and was completed last year.
Camp Invention returning in June
After a one-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Plant City’s biggest STEM-focused summer camp is set to come back.
Camp Invention, which runs from June 7-11 in Plant City, is a national program that teaches campers persistence, creativity, problem solving and confidence through the magic of invention. They’ll design and build their own robots, vehicles, microphones and duck launchers throughout the week and will get to keep the items they build when camp ends.
The program is designed for kids in kindergarten through sixth grade. Current seventh and eighth graders can register as Leadership Interns (LITs). High schoolers and college students can apply to be staff volunteers for service hours and experience.
This year’s camp will be held at the Arthur Boring Civic Center at the Florida Strawberry Festival grounds, 2406 W. Reynolds St. Each day runs from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and extended day hours are available for an extra fee. The cost is $255 per camper, but a pair of discounts are and will be available for parents. Camp Invention is offering to knock $40 off the price for those who register in March with the promo code “Recharge40.” Camp director Paul Coletti is offering $50 off for K-6 campers in April.
Register online at invent.org/camp. Call 800-968-4332 for more information about Camp Invention or contact Coletti at pacman1988@hotmail.com for more information about the Plant City-area program. High schoolers and college students who wish to volunteer should email Coletti.
PC resident makes wreaths for vets
Plant City resident Mamie Robinson was plenty busy running a booth at the Florida Strawberry Festival, but still found time to do something for local veterans of the United States Armed Forces.
Robinson made patriotic wreaths for residents of Liberty Manor for Veterans, 10015 N. 9th St., Tampa, and delivered them during the festival. Liberty Manor promotes “the developmental and social needs of disabled and honorably discharged veterans who have fallen victim to homelessness, providing transitional, supported housing and establishing objectives designed to attribute to self-sufficiency,” according to a press release.
Visit libertymanor.org for more information about the organization.