Paulding Rotary president, Travis Miller started the first meeting of this month by updating everyone on the status of scheduled events coming up. Which included the golf tournament in October and the Paulding Meadows in September. After the announcements and the updates Rotary member, Jason Ragsdale introduced our guest speaker Mrs. Tena Eddy. Mrs. Eddy is the Program Coordinator for the Paulding County Parks and Recreation Department.
Ms. Eddy introduce herself and began to explain what's going on with the Parks and Recreation department for Paulding County. Ms. Eddy began at the Taylor Farm park and continued to the Mount Tabor Park and now currently works at the Burnt Hickory location.
Most Paulding County residents look forward to the Indepen-Dance Fourth of July celebration with the concert and fireworks, also the Halloween trick-or-treat village is another well-known event brought you by the Parks and Recreation Department. Additionally, since the completion of the Veterans Park, in front of the new courthouse, the new concert series is in its second year. This year, Sons of Sailors (a Jimmy Buffet tribute band) will perform on August 13th and Veterans Park. In September tribute ABB (Allman Brothers tribute band) will perform on the 10th. More details will be provided for these events and the links below. For the concert series they are working in conjunction with the Paulding Chamber of Commerce and the Special Events Network. As these events generate revenue they allow Paulding County to create more opportunities for people to enjoy themselves inside Paulding County. Other activities include outdoor movies in the parks. For more information about the concert series and movies please check their website link below.
The Parks and Recreation Department has many activities as well as events available, over 196 the exact. There are many adult and youth programs. Most notably are sports and exercise programs for adults and youth such as basketball and softball for the youth, and tennis for the adults. Health and Wellness classes now include Yoga, Pilates and BodySHRED activities as well as a traditional boot camp to get you started. Additionally, there are new Educational Enrichment Programs that provide training such as CPR, babysitting and sewing courses. New additions are to help young students acquire everything they need for college prep. This includes a boot camp for SAT/SAT/ACT test preparation. Public service and personal enrichment activities such as these provide a positive and powerful reason for people to look inside the county for resources.
The SPLOST tax provides funding of 15% to 20% to the Parks and Recreation department. This funding helps to maintain the parts we have and continue moving forward with new areas such as the Mulberry Rock Road Park which is now beginning phase 1. As the county grows budget concerns are more evident. Parks and Recreation's many enclosed and outdoor facilities are available for rent. From conference rooms for business meetings and gatherings to outdoor activities such as wedding receptions and anniversaries these facilities are generating revenue for the county. The Parks and Recreation department manages 12 parks, while scheduling numerous events and activities for Paulding County. As our County continues to grow it is good to know that we have a forward thinking and proactive department like this one which continue to provide enrichment and entertainment for the county.

Website calendar link https://recreation.paulding.gov/wbwsc/webtrac.wsc/search.html?display=Calendar&module=Event&SessionID=ca065292-6079-89b5-1414-f68950e54460

August 13 concert https://www.facebook.com/Sons-Of-Sailors-108624349224460/?fref=ts

September 10 concert https://www.facebook.com/TributeABB/?fref=ts