Plant City youths have plenty of opportunities to learn and have fun this summer.
The Plant City Recreation & Parks Department is currently promoting four summer sports camps and its two annual, center-focused summer programs. Most events are scheduled to begin in June, and all will run through parts of July and August.
Three of the events will be held at Plant City High School's gymnasium.
First up is the 2017 Summer Basketball Clinic, where youths can learn the game from Raiders varsity coaches Billy Teeden and Danny McIntyre, staffers and players.
The hoops clinic is scheduled to run from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in three sessions. The first session runs Monday, June 5, through Thursday, June 8, the second from Monday, June 19, through Thursday, June 22, and the third from Monday, July 10, through Thursday, July 13. Registration costs $115 per child, per camp, and campers must be between age 6 and 14.
For more information, call Teeden at (813) 967-7551.
Also on deck for June is the 2017 Summer Open Gym, which runs Monday, June 12, through Thursday, July 20.
The free event works in two shifts. The gym is open for kids age 8 to 17 from 12 to 5 p.m., and open to kids age 16 and older from 5 to 9 p.m. The 8 to 17 gym time will not be available from Monday, June 19, through Thursday, June 22, and from Monday, July 17, through Thursday, July 20. Registration forms for those under age 17 must be completed by a parent or guardian and turned in before the gym can be used. Those age 18 and older must complete an emergency contact card.
For more information, call (813) 659-4255.
The 2017 Summer Cheerleading Clinic, run by varsity head coach Karen Snapp and her Raiders team, will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, July 18, and Wednesday, July 19.
Cheerleaders are asked to bring their own lunches and water bottles, and are required to wear a t-shirt, shorts, sneakers and a hair tie. No jewelry is permitted.
For additional information, contact Snapp at (813) 757-9370, or by email at Karen.Snapp@sdhc.k12.fl.us.
The Rec & Parks Department is also promoting a summer softball academy, run by former Plant City High School and Florida Gulf Coast University softball player Makensie McAvoy. Full details for the camp are still to be announced, but the department will take calls at (813) 659-4255.
Sports camp registration forms can be found online and downloaded from PlantCityGov.com. Forms must be submitted at least two weeks prior to an event's start date.
The city is also still accepting registrations for its Youth Summer Programs.
The program is hosted at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center and the Planteen Recreation Center and, though each nine-week program is independent, both run from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday, June 5, through Friday, August 4. All children enrolling in a program must have at least completed Kindergarten, and must present their last report card as proof.
The MLK Rec Center's program is open to children age 5 to 13, at a cost of $275 per child. The Planteen program is for kids age 6 to 15 at a cost of $375 per child. The fees cover transportation, food, field trips and camp shirts, and payment plans are available for both programs.
For more information about the MLK program, call Lillie Brown at (813) 757-9196. For more information about the Planteen program, call Maggie Morona at (813) 659-4256.