Staff Writer

The Troy Parks and Recreation Department is providing the children of Troy with a great way to use all that free time summer vacation brings, with its annual summer day camps which start next week.

Registration for the camps began on Monday and continues all summer. Registration is $10 and the camps are open to children ages 5 to 12.

The first session starts on June 11 and the last session will be July 16.

The recreation department will have two camps running through the summer. One at Washington Park, and the other at Murphree Park. The only difference between the two camps, said Gail Jones, program coordinator for the TPRD, is the Washington Park camp will have a swimming pool and swimming instruction, but the Murphree park camp will still have water activities so kids can beat the heat.

Both camps will have outdoor play activities, table-top games, art projects, snacks and lunches. Each camp session is Monday through Friday and goes from 8:00 a.m. to noon each day.

"Parents can drop their kids off as early as 7:30 a.m., since we know many parents have to go to work," Jones said.

Jones said parents can feel safe their children will be in good hands during the camps.

"We just want parents to know that these camps are well supervised and run by experienced personnel," Jones said. Carl Hollis will be in charge of the Washington Park camps and Naomi Barnes will run the Murphy Park camps.

Jones said the TPRD summer camps have been a summer tradition in Troy for many years.

"I’ve worked here for 23 years and we have had camps every summer," Jones said "We usually have 140 to 160 kids participating in both camps."