LTC 216-2005 Summer Campers "Walking Tall"
CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
Office of the City Manager
Letter to Commission No. 216-2005
To:
Mayor David Dermer and
Members of the City Commission
Date: August 16, 2005
Jorge M. Gonzalez &rllfrfi?
City Manager G j /'
Subject: Summer Campers IlWalking Tall"
Miami Beach summer campers learned the ancient art of walking on stilts in a program
jointly presented by the City's Parks & Recreation Department and the Miami Performing
Arts Center, with the support ofthe Miami Beach Convention Center. Classes were taught
July 26 - August 4, 2005 in a carpeted room of the Convention Center.
The innovative program received exceptional coverage by the Miami Herald. The paper
devoted nearly two-thirds of its "Metro & State" cover page to a story with extensive
photography. A copy of the coverage of the program is attached.
Stilt-training teaches children how to balance, move, and perform on stilts while
encouraging creativity, promoting physical fitness, and helping the children to build
confidence and self-esteem. Classes were taught by stilts expert, Alessandra Ogren of
Wise Fool, a physical theater company in New Mexico.
The stilt walking experience capped out an extremely successful 2005 Parks & Recreation
Department summer camp that saw nearly 2,500 K-12th graders taking regular day camps
classes and specialty camps that included dance, tennis, art, golf, teen fitness, surfing, ice
hockey, sports camps and marine biology.
Please mark your calendar for these upcoming Parks & Recreation Department
programs:
Movie in the Pool, Saturday, August 20, 2005, Scott Rakow Youth Center Pool
Free Fundays, Sunday, October 2, 2005, Flamingo Pool
You are cordially invited to visit our facilities and experience firsthand the recreational
programs that offer something for every member of the family.
Should you ve additional questions, please contact Kevin Smith at (305) 673-7730.
From:
JMG IKS/JM/jm
Attachment
c: Robert C. Middaugh, Assistant City Manager
Kevin Smith, Parks & Recreation Director
Julio Magrisso, Assistant Parks & Recreation Director
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