Ice Cream For Passports

At Parks And Rec

By Kendra Bobowick

“These are our faithful people. Wherever we were, they came,” said Assistant Director of Recreation RoseAnn Reggiano. Sisters Melissa and Kayla Nowak and their mother Lisa have completed the Parks and Recreation Department’s Passport to the Parks program, which encouraged residents to visit the town’s parks and attend special Parks & Rec-sponsored events. Those who had their passports stamped for all of the programs and visited locations receive prizes from Parks & Rec.

The Nowaks were the first family to report to the Parks & Rec office with completed 2009 passports.

Unfolding their passports and showing off the circled signatures to prove they made a particular event, the sisters visited the recreation department offices on Monday, where Director Amy Mangold and Ms Reggiano gave them T-shirts, key chains, and their favorite: coupons to Ferris Acres Creamery. “Mom printed [the passports] out and we did them!” said Melissa.

“We found Orchard Hill,” said Ms Nowak, adding, “It was neat to see Eichler’s Cove.” Her daughters girls agreed. Melissa added, “We walked the trails at Fairfield Hills.”

Although they have been doing that for a long time, since they live nearby, they discovered something new. “It was rocky; now [the trails] are paved again,” Kayla said. “We can ride our bikes.” The hills, however, “are scary,” she admitted.

Melissa liked the Treadwell pool party that kicked off the passport challenge on June 12. Additional events have included Frisbee Golf and Flashlight Tag, with each event earning the promised stamps on passports. Recalling a relay race during the pool party, Kayle laughed, “You could only push the ball with your nose!” Melissa said, “I was really good at that.”

Inspired, the Nowaks will make return trips to different locations, including Eichler’s Cove. The sisters did not like the beach’s coarse sand, however, but their mother corrected them: “The river doesn’t make sand the way the ocean does…”

Ms Mangold wrote each girl a note of congratulations before they left Monday.