Around Oakley: Summer camp keeps kids busy

By Roni Gehlke

Looking for a safe place for the kids to spend summer vacation? The city of Oakley has been making great advances in its recreational programs. This year it once again is offering its Summer Blaze Camp for kids ages 6 to 11.

The program runs two times during the summer. The first session begins Monday, running through June 26. The program then shuts down for a week and resumes from July 6 to July 17.
"We are setting it up like a traveling camp, going to different Oakley parks on different days," said Oakley parks and recreation coordinator Cindy Coehlo.

The program will run at three Oakley parks — Shady Oak Park, Freedom Basin and Novarina Park. Coehlo said each park has its own advantages.

On Mondays and Fridays, the camp will be hosted at Shady Oak Park, located behind Gehringer School at 257 Cedar Run Drive. Because the program consists of an afternoon playing in water, Shady Oak Park offers a great water fountain area and lots of grass to play on.

The Freedom Basin Park is adjacent to Freedom High School, which Coehlo says is a great location because the program will allow the kids to swim at Freedom's pool. "The admission cost for the swimming in the pool is included in the cost of the camp," she said.

Camp participants go to Freedom Basin Park on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The other nice thing about this park is it features a large open space of grass, which gives the kids plenty of room to run and play.

On Wednesdays, the camp will take place at Novarina Park, located behind the high school off Carpenter Road, at 100 Brown Road. Coehlo said this park is small but includes some shade, which will be important when the weather gets hotter during the summer.

Coehlo said the camp is a drop-off program, and although parents don't need to preregister, there is only limited space for 100 children. The cost of the program is $7 per day.
Five-day "punch cards" also are available for $30. When using the punch card, it isn't necessary to go five days in a row. It will be good throughout this year's camp season. The camp runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Parents are not expected to stay with their children through the program, but they are asked to fill out a sign-in sheet and provide an emergency number for the day.
Coehlo said the staff works to make the program fun for kids. The staff includes city employees, plus teens that are involved in the city's Junior Recreation Leadership program.

There are still a couple of volunteer slots available for this program, which is open to 13- to 16-year-olds. Friday is the deadline for sign-ups. Volunteers also are needed for the city's Fourth of July weekend celebrations, Coehlo said.

Summer Blaze offers games, crafts, swimming and water activities. For more details, check out the city's Web site at www.ci.oakley.ca.us or call 925-625-7041.