By Kevin D. Nelson

Austin Parks and Recreation

The Municipal Pool opens at 1 p.m. on Monday, June 10.

You can get your pool membership online at www.ci.austin.mn.us, click on City Departments and pick Park and Recreation. The fee is $40 per person. Daily fees are $4 per person for the afternoon session and $2 for our evening sessions. Your pool membership will allow you to swim during adult lap swim from noon to 1 p.m., Monday through Saturday, as well as any scheduled open swim time.

Have you wanted to try Aqua Zumba or deep-water fitness classes? We have classes available on Thursdays beginning June 13. Pre-registration for all classes can be done on-line at www.ci.austin.mn.us. A pool pass is not needed to sign up for a class, but registration and payment for the class is required.

•Aqua Boot Camp Deep Water class is held from 12:10-12:40 p.m. on Tuesdays, starting June 11 and running through Aug. 13. Cost is $30 and make-ups are on Thursday, if needed.

This class will be held in the diving well (deep water) of the pool. Noodles for flotation will be used. Core strengthening, cardio, and range-of-motion exercises will be the focus of this 30-minute, high-intensity class. No swimming skills are needed; however, a comfort in deep water is a must. All fitness levels are welcome in any of the classes; modifications can be made for all exercises.

•Deep Water Workout class is held on Tuesdays from 6-6:45 p.m. starting June 11 and running through Aug. 13. The cost is $36. Make-ups are on Mondays if needed. Note, there is no class on July 4. This water fitness program is held in the deeper part of the pool and provides a no-impact but challenging cardiovascular workout. Participants will use noodles and styrofoam barbells to perform a variety of motions including water walking and running, abdominal work and toning exercises.

This class is designed to increase cardiovascular fitness, range of motion, and muscle tone. No swimming skills are needed; however, a comfort in deep water is a must. All fitness levels are welcome in any of the classes; modifications can be made for all exercises.

Rec programming

June 10 is almost here and most summer rec programs are scheduled to begin that day.

Online registration is still open for many Park and Rec programs and Nature Center programs. You can find our Summer Program Brochure on our website for your summer planning. The link is on our city web page at www.ci.austin.mn.us. Click on City Departments, click on On-line Registration or go to cityofapr.maxgalaxy.net. From there, click on the Registration tab, click on Youth, and the programs will be listed. If you have not created your account, when you click on the Register tab, it will ask you to log in or create an account. If you have any questions, please call.

4th Avenue Fest

Mark your calendar to attend 4th Avenue Fest from 5-8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 12, in Horace Austin Park.

It will feature MacPhail Music Interactive Percussion Experience at 5:15 p.m. Kids and adults are welcome to participate at Horace Austin Park (the park between the library and the pool).

An Austin Community Band Concert will follow at 6:30 p.m. in the pool parking lot with a free ice cream treat. The evening swim at the pool from 5:30-8 p.m. will be free for all to join the fun. The finale begins at 7:30 p.m. with La Victoria Mariachi Band performing free  at the Paramount Theatre. Go in and enjoy the show!

Pet ordinance

A reminder that the City of Austin does have a pet ordinance as follows: “Except as hereinafter provided, no pet animals, including horses, are permitted in public parks. Except for horses, pet animals are permitted on all public trails and park roadways with the exception of the three fenced ball complexes: Todd Park North and South and RCC. While using the public trails and park roadways, pet animals shall be adequately restrained by a durable leash, cord, chain or other similar restraint and the pet animals shall be under the direct control of their owner, except that pet animals under the supervision of their owner may be unrestrained in the area designated as the dog park.”

The Dog Park area is located east of South Main Street between First and Second Street Southeast along the north side of the river. Violation of the ordinance can carry a fine.

Did you know?

Children with a playground within a half mile of home are five times as likely to be a healthy weight than those without. (Source: Kaczynski and Havitz, “Examining the Relationship between Proximal Park Features and Residents’ Physical Activity in Neighborhood Parks”).