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Explore treasures of area with Passport program
I am so excited! I just found out that the Keystone Active Zone Passport program will be starting on April 16, in time for us to enjoy the spring weather and celebrate Earth Day.
My family participated last year and we had a wonderful time using it to explore Luzerne County’s treasure trove of fabulous, free, outdoor recreational resources throughout the spring and summer. The passport has something of interest for everyone: guided hikes and walks, river festivals and outdoor celebrations, fishing and boating clinics, municipal and state parks and miles and miles of trails. Most people I talked to about the passport had no idea there is so much to do right here at home. With gas prices going through the roof, you can use the passport to plan local, low-cost excursions that will entertain you, your family and friends; help improve your health and make you proud of where you live.
Last year, I invited my New Jersey nephews to join us for the Family Paddling Day and they loved the experience. Our state parks offer a host of activities and environmental education events open to all. My niece and I really enjoyed the walking history tours in Wilkes-Barre and my entire family loved the Earth Day events and hiking excursions.
This program also coincides with the “get fit” movement because it promotes walking, hiking, swimming, boating and overall outdoor activity; something from which we can all benefit. My niece is trying to manage her weight and has become our fitness guru and this will help keep her motivated.
It’s fun to choose which “passport stops” to visit and then, even more exciting, to hunt for the answer to each stop’s special scavenger hunt question. The more stops you visit and log, the more chances you have to earn awards and win great prizes; adding to the fun.
The passport’s website, www.KAZpassport.org, has all the information you need to register and start your adventures
Music in the ’50s helped everyone stay fit, happy
In reflecting on the 1950s and today, as far as exercise: One of my friends pointed out a film of Bill Haley and His Comets in a dance room. Joyful teenagers were jitterbugging, swinging, dancing, jumping and having a nonstop, uninhibited good time.
In the ’50s, no matter where you’d be, the radio would play Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard and so on. When the radio or the jukebox was going, we’d dance on grass, sidewalks, down the halls, at home and at the center.
There were no health spas, and we all kept in shape. We were neatly dressed and full of energy. We didn’t need narcotics and were all naturally high; that came from within, the same as fond memories.
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