Mark your calendar to bring the family to the pool from 7 to 9 p.m. on Friday for the free Family Fun Night. Music will be played by DJ Dean Randall and games will be organized by our recreation intern Elise O’Neill. This is a great opportunity to hang out at the pool with your kids for a couple of hours! Thank you to our three sponsors — the VFW, the DAV and the American Legion — which allow us to open the event to the public free of charge.

Austin will host a Minnesota Regional Championships swim meet on July 22, 23 and 24. Swimmers from age 8 to 17 and over will beginning competing on Friday evening through Sunday evening. We will close our main pool and diving well on Saturday and Sunday however we will open the splash pad and tot pool free from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday and from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Please enter from the north gate at the splash pad area. The main pool area will not be accessible. We will have concessions open as well.

The Austin Municipal Pool open swim hours are from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday; from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday; from 1 to 6 p.m. Saturday; and from 2 to 7 p.m. Sunday. The adult lap swim will be held from 12 to 1 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Our season membership is $30 per person, ages 2 and under are free. The daily admission is $3 in the afternoon and $2 for the three evening swims.

 

Water festival

Join us at the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center next week for the third Annual Water Festival from July 11 to 15. Our programs in the Ruby Rupner Auditorium are listed below. Please RSVP by calling the Nature Center at 507-437-7519 or dropping them an e-mail at info@hormelnaturecenter.org. Thursday will feature a Nature Play from 1 to 4 p.m. with many water-themed activities to participate in. There will be canoeing or kayaking and pond scooping from 1 to 4 p.m. At 2 p.m. there will be a staff-led water quality testing of the pond and Dobbins Creek. At 2:30 you can do a little crayfish hunting in the stream and at 3 p.m. there will be a water survival game! On Friday, join the staff and community volunteers clean up a stretch of Dobbins Creek or the Cedar River which begins at 8:30 a.m. Please pre-register to participate! Other programs include water quality testing at 8:30 a.m.; help Nels Rasmussen attach “No Dumping/Drains to River” plates to storm drains from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.; at 1:30 p.m. more water testing of Austin’s waterways and 2 p.m. tour the sewage treatment plant!

Looking ahead

All Park and Recreation summer recreation classes resume Sunday evening.

Austin Youth Hockey will hold its 12th Annual Golf Classic on Saturday, July 23, at Meadow Greens! Contact Chad Thomas at 507-219-1573 to get your team in!

Like us on Facebook “Austin Park and Recreation Department, Austin MN.” Park and Recreation Office is located at 121 Fourth Ave. NE; 507-433-1881, www.ci.austin.mn.us. “Buy Mower Grow Mower” and “Please recycle!”

 

Water Festival and Jay C. Hormel Nature Center schedule

The Jay C. Hormel Nature Center Summer Special events in the Ruby Rupner Auditorium schedules include:

•Monday, July 11 — CRWD Project Manager Cody Fox (7 p.m.)

•Wednesday, July 13 and Thursday July 14 — Minnesota Singer-Songwriter Peter Mayer (7/13-7 p.m.; 7/14- 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.)

•Thursday, July 21 — Ben Sherman; Bat Program — Part 1 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.; Part 2 8:30 p.m.; see the bats in action.

•Thursday, July 28 — Roger Hellesvig as Ole Oleson (9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.)

•Saturday, Aug. 6 — Pat and and Donna Surface with the Boundary Water Boys and Marina Whight (10 AM, 1 p.m., 7 p.m.) During this event freewill donation will be accepted for Alzheimer’s research.

•Thursday, Aug. 25 — Singer-Songwriter Tom Pease (9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.)