Summer break is a few months away, but registration starts Monday for Rocky Mount’s camps for ages 5 and older.

“Families really look for quality of service, and that is what we strive to offer in all our programming,” Recreation Superintendent Kelvin Yarrell said. “Every year we have more people who’ve participated in our camps coming back and signing up to participate again.”

The city offers a variety of programming for different age groups with nearly 400 spaces for day camps that start June 17 and run through mid-August.

“We have recreation services programs at Winstead, Englewood, O.R. Pope, Baskerville, South Rocky Mount Community Center and Rocky Mount Academy where participants do swimming, bowling, roller skating, group games, team building activities and field trips,” Yarrell said. “We also have the athletic camps that add the River Rats program of hiking and canoeing down the Tar River. Programs at the Imperial Centre focus on similar things, but put the science and arts components in there, too.”

Imperial Centre Cultural Arts Administrator Maureen Daly said theater camps sometimes fill up on the first day of registration.

“We have an excellent director, so the Young Actors Theatre and Play Shop are some of the fastest to fill up,” Yarrell said.

Staff members are extensively trained and certified in cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

“We also use a lot of teachers from the school system,” he said. “Most parents will see teachers their kids have worked with throughout the school year, which makes them feel more comfortable.”

Camps usually run from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. with lunch and a snack for participants. Some scholarships are available through the city’s Human Relations department.

Yarrell said programming has expanded in recent years.

To find out more about the summer camps, call 972-1151 or register online at www.rocky
mountnc.gov/parks.