Dix Park opens family-focused amenities!

The Portage Park District is thrilled to offer two new family-focused amenities at Dix Park this summer for the community to enjoy!

The first is a Story Trail that was made possible by a partnership with Reed Memorial Library and the generous funding they acquired from the Ravenna United Fund to purchase the story signs. The Story Trail loop is a short 0.16 miles in length – perfect for little legs! Visitors can enjoy a walk around the trail and read a featured story prepared by the Reed Memorial Library staff. We plan to change the stories at least quarterly. Our first story, Under One Rock, was chosen by the public and features all the tiny creatures and treasures that live near or under most rocks!

The second addition to the park is a new Nature Play Space that can be accessed from the Story Trail. Nature Play can be described as positive, unstructured, creative play outdoors. Decades of research have shown that playing outside is necessary for early childhood development. Imagination, critical thinking, problem-solving, gross motor strength, and risk assessment are just some of the skills that are strengthened by this type of inquiry-based learning in nature. We are proud to provide this public space as a backyard where children can play and explore! Nature play spaces are dynamic, and we expect the space to evolve over time as children use their creativity to build and move the foundational natural materials that we have provided. Learn more about the value of nature play here.

Special thanks to a dedicated group of our park volunteers that have worked over the past several weeks to prepare the Nature Play Space for opening: Bill Beach, Ann Cartner, Todd Cartner, Ken Christensen, Joe DeFuria, Bill Graham, Diane Graham, Holly Johnson, Emmalisa Kennedy, Nancy Schiappa, Jessica Winchell, Judi Zala, and Marc Gordin. Thanks to Camp Asbury for sharing the large hollow sugar maple tree tunnel and to Independent Tree for providing the wood chips.

We hope you can join us for our open house on Saturday, August 6 from 12:00-2:00 pm. Dix Park is open from dawn to dusk each day for visitors to enjoy!

Check out the Record Courier's coverage of these amenities by clicking here.