After hours, weekends, mid-winter, summers: kids are bored, parents distracted. Computer games, TV, cat videos, even books, aren’t the only options. Bethel Area Recreation can help. Sarah Tucker, Bethel’s Recreation Director, recruits and coordinates volunteer coaches, officials, assistants and helpers of all kinds. She’s explained what’s available.

There are winter programs indoors and out. Skiing/snowboarding has already begun, but students in grades 6-12 can register anytime with their Telstar Dean or Bethel Rec; they must have equipment and a Sunday River lift pass. The bus departs from Telstar at 2:30 on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays through February 28. The return bus leaves Barker Mountain Lodge in time to catch the late bus at Telstar. There are chaperones, and instruction is available. Skiers and snowboarders are grouped: no one goes on the mountain alone. Non-competitive fun.

The basketball program begins in January; registration through Bethel Rec, date to be announced. Instruction, practice, and games for grades 1-8 on Saturday mornings at the Telstar gym. High school players help with the coaching. Great fun and, like other programs, good preparation for high school sports.

Come spring there are bat sports on Saturdays. Softball (ages 7-14), T-ball (for beginners ages 5-6), and baseball (ages 7-12, after which players can join a Babe Ruth team in the area). Registration opens  March 1, and play begins in April when the snow has disappeared from fields in Woodstock, Greenwood, and Bethel. (Bethel Area includes the full range of SAD 44, and the other towns and villages do their share.)

Registration for girls’ lacrosse (kindergarten-fourth grade) also opens March 1, and play also awaits the melting of snow.

In the summer, Bethel Rec can direct students and parents to the excellent programs of Mahoosuc Kids at Crescent Park, and of the Bryant Pond 4H Camp. And of course students should use and enjoy the town’s recreational facilities: the basketball court, the skate park, and Angevine Park (great for a family outing).

Fall brings soccer, but registration begins June 1. Instruction, practice, and play for students from pre-k – grade 6. More about that next year.

Contact: email recreation@bethelmaine.org facebook www.facebook.com/BethelRec

David R Jones is a member of the Bethel Area Recreation Board.

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