SPECIAL EVENTS

The Tuscaloosa County Park & Recreation Authority is hosting
PARA Kids Zone activities on July 4 as part of the city’s “Celebration on the River”
Independence Day festivities. The activities are located on the south side of Jack Warner
Parkway across from the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater at 6-8:30 p.m. and are free and open
to the public.

PARA is thankful to sponsors who have made it possible to offer the event free of
charge to the public. PARA Kids Zone sponsors are Walter Energy, Parker Towing
Company, McAbee Construction, and Buffalo Rock Pepsi.

A great night out for parents! Bring your skates for a night of fun and enjoy participating in games, dancing to music and $1 per slice pizza, including the game Wipe Out and prizes for the kids. Designed for children in grades K-5.

February 22

April 5

Time: 6-8 p.m.

Location: Phelps Center

Cost: $5 per youth, concessions extra

Come and join us for fun and a delicious breakfast for only $4!

Afterward, those purchasing the breakfast may play bingo for FREE!  This event is designed especially for seniors.

We meet monthly at the McAbee Center.  Check HERE for dates/times.

Take advantage of the convenience and comfort of our indoor gym to sell your stuff and shop for treasures. Booths sell out, so register early. Shoppers, do not miss this – PARA garage sales are like an indoor flea market, great for bargain hunting, rain or shine!

 Time: 7 a.m.-1 p.m.

Location: PARA Activity Centers 

Cost: Free admission to shoppers;

booth rental is $20 for vendors.  Additional tables may be purchased for $5 each. (Limit, 2)

Enjoy country dancing to the tunes of "The Echos."

Fridays, 6:45pm-9:45pm

Northport Community Center

Fee: $5

Tuscaloosa County Park & Recreation Authority is one of the organizations readying for a cultural exchange taking place on July 6-20. The “Chinese Camp” exchange program is seeking families to host 23 children, ages 8-12, from the City of Kumming, Yunnan Province, located in the southwestern region of China.

The exchange was arranged by Richard Davis, camp coordinator, who has traveled extensively in China. Davis is a former PARA employee and currently works at Cahaba Veneer in Centreville, Ala. which conducts business in China. The partnership is coordinated through the Eemom Company owned by Rao and Jamie Yun of Tuscaloosa in partnership with the Chinese government.

“The children have been taking English lessons since the age of 5 and have basic English communication skills and pocket translators,” said Davis. “We have activities planned during the day and weekend for the participants and are seeking families to host children in their homes, for one or two weeks,” he said.

According to Davis, “A host family will provide an experience of American culture,” during the time spent in their home, providing breakfast and evening meals and sleeping arrangements for the children. During the day, the youth will attend PARAkids Day Camp and on the weekend, they will participate in field trips to places such as the Atlanta Aquarium.

Gary Minor, executive director, stated, “We knew Richard to be an honest, hardworking, and positive leader while he served as Special Projects Coordinator for PARA. We are looking forward to participating in the cultural exchange by hosting the children in PARAkids Day Camp.”

To offset the additional cost of food and issues associated with being host family a stipend of $175 per child, per week, is available.

 If you are interested in the possibility of being a host family or for more information, please contact Richard Davis by calling 205-792-1493 and via email.