Milwaukee Recreation has joined the American Red Cross Aquatics Centennial Campaign to provide $5 swim lessons at four select Milwaukee pools in an expansion of a national multi-year campaign to increase access to water safety skills. “We’re partnering with Red Cross aquatics training providers like Milwaukee Recreation Aquatics to create an ecosystem of water safety in communities where there are high numbers of drownings or drowning rates that are higher than the national average,” Mark Thomas, Regional CEO and Southeast Wisconsin Chapter Executive, American Red Cross, said.

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On Wednesday, Dec. 4, Milwaukee Recreation celebrated the grand opening of the Andrew Douglas Twilight Center at its eponymous middle school. The Andrew Douglas Twilight Center is the eighth Twilight Center to open, and is the first such site to accommodate middle school students, ages 10-15. MPS officials and staff celebrated the grand opening with family-friendly activities, giveaway items, and a ribbon cutting.

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By Brian Foley, Marketing Supervisor On Friday, Nov. 22, Jim Hotson and Brian Smallcombe received Project ADAM Hero awards in recognition for their quick thinking and courageous action at a Milwaukee Recreation Pickleball game earlier this year. In March, pickleballer Bob Schmidt collapsed mid-game at Pulaski High School. Smallcombe, a Herzing University nursing student, rushed over from the sidelines to begin chest compressions on Schmidt, while Hotson, who doubles as a Milwaukee Recreation groundskeeper, hurried to locate the AED.

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By Brian Foley, Marketing Supervisor Eighth grader Gabby Wrightsman has parlayed a lifetime of cycling into legitimate championship hopes as a leading member of the Milwaukee Recreation Mountain Biking team (MKE MTB). Wrightsman has been on a bicycle since she was three years old, and recently completed her second season with MKE MTB as she follows in the mountain biking tracks of her father, Jonathan, and her older brother, Riley.

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  Milwaukee Recreation hosted the second annual Mother & Son Superhero Night on Saturday, Nov. 9 at Hamilton High School Community Center! Mothers and sons attended in their favorite superhero attire for an evening of arts and crafts, superhero training activities, and healthy snacks. This event, intended for 1-10 year olds, saw over 200 participants put their superhero skills to the test. Superhero activities included: Black Panther Bowling, Race Through Gotham, Flash Dance, Lightsaber Training, and much more!

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By Brian Foley, Marketing Supervisor We have featured customers and instructors alike in our various spotlight stories over the years, but long-time Recreation participant Dennis Eden has successfully donned both hats in his two decades with the department. Eden began his Recreation journey in the mid-2000s when he signed up for an advanced guitar class, which he stuck with for several years.

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On Nov. 29-30, eight Milwaukee Public Schools basketball programs will participate in the 13th annual Fresh Coast Classic, a 16-team event at Brown Deer High School's Novak Fieldhouse featuring schools from across the Milwaukee area. See the full event schedule below: Friday, Nov. 29 4:45 p.m. (Girls): Rufus King High School vs. Arrowhead High School 6 p.m. (Boys): Rufus King High School vs. Brookfield Academy 8 p.m.

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On Friday, Oct. 11 and Saturday, Oct. 12, Milwaukee Recreation hosted the annual Halloween Glen celebration at its 23-acre Hawthorn Glen nature site. Even though the event landed on a pair of chillier-than-usual fall nights, the surrounding southeastern Wisconsin community still turned out in droves, as over 700 people attended the 26th edition of the family-friendly Halloween alternative. Actors presented humorous, educational, and interactive skits along the luminaria-lighted trails of Hawthorn Glen for children and families throughout the night.

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By Brian Foley, Marketing Supervisor “I can do this!” Twice a week, that refrain echoes through the halls of the North Division High School Community Center. While the level of activity around the rest of the center comes and goes during the year, the Men Moving Forward program is becoming a constant presence. Men Moving Forward is a free healthy lifestyle program for African-American men who have completed treatment for prostate cancer in the previous six months.

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By Brian Foley, Marketing Supervisor On Saturday, Oct. 5, Milwaukee Recreation welcomed neighbors, community leaders, and local politicians to the groundbreaking ceremony for the renovations of Clovernook Playfield and Franklin Square Playfield. The department hosted the event at Clovernook. "There is a need for our kids to get an education in socialization, in learning how to play, having a safe place, having mentors, and having organized activities.

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