Summer program sign up

The Houlton Parks & Recreation Department will be holding its summer registrations for youth programs.
Sign up for Houlton residents, who physically reside in the Shiretown, only will be Tuesday, May 4 from 5:30-7 p.m.     Open registration for Houlton residents, as well as non-Houlton residents, will begin on Wednesday, May 5 throught Thursday, May 6 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. All registrations will be accepted until June 1; however, several programs have limited openings, so early registration is encouraged. All registrations will be held at the Gentle Memorial Building; no telephone registrations will be accepted.
The Summer Flyer has been distributed through the local schools systems or flyers may be picked up at the recreation department. The Houlton Parks and Recreation Department tries to keep programs at an affordable level for all residents. If someone has an unusual financial situation that may limit participation due to fees, please contact the rec at 532-1310 prior to the day of registration to make payment arrangements.
Programs being offered this summer are as follows:
“Just for Kids”  playground program is open to youth ages 5-13 years of age. Youth must be 5 years of age by June 21 and must have attended kindergarten for 2010-11 to stay all day. Those youth who are 5 years, but did not attend kindergarten are allowed to stay for the morning session 9-11. The full day program runs form 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Thursday and Fridays 9-11 a.m. This program will run June 21-August 5 and a schedule will be given out at registrations with dates the program will not be open.
Just for Kids program is limited to the first 150 children to register. Cost for the program is as follows:
one child, $125 for Houlton resident, $185 for non-residents; two children $175 for resident, $270 for non-resident and each additional child is $40 for resident and $60 for non-resident.
Five-year-olds attending the half day program will pay $65 for Houlton residents and $100 for non-residents.
This program is at Community Park on good days and at the Houlton Recreation Center on rainy days.  The SAD 29 food service will provide free lunch to all participants from June 21-July 29. More information will be given out at the time of registration.
The Just for Kids program has been developed to keep the children happy, busy and safe throughout the summer.  A tentative schedule and listing of rules will be given out at the time of registration.
Red Cross Swim Lessons will be held for six weeks on each Monday and Wednesday, starting on July 5. Times will be given out at the time of registration. Lessons this summer will be held at the Shiretown Motor Inn and Suites Pool. Youth must be 6 years of age by July 1to participate.
This program is for Houlton residents only. Cost for this program is $40 per participant. More details will be given at registration.
Tennis Lessons will be held again this summer on starting the week of June 21. Classes will be held at the beginners and intermediates levels. Youth must be 7 years of age by June 21and older to participate.
Lessons will be held each Monday and Wednesdays for six weeks at the Community Park Tennis Courts.  Times will be announced at registration. Class size is limited to 12 students. Rackets may be provided if needed this year by the Parks and Recreation Department. Cost is $30 for Houlton residents and $45 for non- Houlton residents.
Junior Girls Softball  is for girls between the ages of 9-12 years.  Age deadline for this division is April 30. Practices will be held each Tuesday and Thursday at the Community Park Fields. Starting date is Tuesday, June 22. More information will be given at the first practice. Girls must have their own glove. Cost for this program is $30 for the Houlton residents or $45 for non-Houlton residents.
Youth Basketball Camp  will be held Monday, June 21–24 at the Gentle Memorial Building. Youth entering grades K-3 will go from 8:30-11 a.m. and youth entering grades 4-9 will go from 12-3 p.m.
Instructors will be Bruce Nason and Tim Tweedie. Cost is $45 for Houlton residents and $65 for non-Houlton residents.
T-Ball & First Pitch: T-ball is for 5-6 year olds (must be 5 years by April 30). This program will introduce baseball with the use of a batting tee.  First Pitch is for 7-8 year olds (must be 7 years by April 30). This program is designed to teach fundamentals of baseball and introduce batters to a pitch.
Both programs will begin the week of July 12 and run for four weeks. Practices and games will be held Monday through Thursday evenings at the baseball fields in Community Park and Southside School fields. Cost is $25 for Houlton residents and $38 for non-Houlton residents.
Dutch Soccer Camp will return once again this summer to Houlton area youth. The camp, which is run by Rob Krul, will be held the week of July 12-16 at the Houlton High soccer fields. Youth going into grades K-4 will go from 9 a.m. to noon. Youth going into grades 5-8 will go from 4-7 p.m.
Within each camp session, youth will be divided into age appropriate groups for camp activities. Cost for this camp is $95 per participant with a $10 discount for each additional sibling attending camp.
Hershey Track & Field is open to girls and boys between the ages of 9-14 years. Groups will be determined by the youth’s age as of December 31. The first practice will be held on Tuesday, May 18 at 3:15 p.m. for ages 9-10 years and 4:15 p.m. for ages 11-14 years. Practices will be held outside the Millar Civic Center.  If rain, they meet at the Houlton Rec Center.
Cost for this program is $20 Houlton residents and $30 for non-Houlton residents. This program introduces youth to the basic fundamentals of track and field events. Youth must attend weekly practices to be eligible to attend the District Track meet in Caribou.
Sneakin’ In Science Mini Program will be held on August 9-11 at the rec center with Sara McQuarrie as the instructor. It will be held from 9-10 each morning. Children between 7-12 years of age are invited to this fun program. Cost is $30 per child.
The program will include Giant Bubble Mania where kids will make huge bubbles, Creepy Crawleys where kids will look at different bugs in pond water and soil. They will get to take home their own bug catcher and bug habitat. The last class will center on Light and Color. Kids will mix up some fun color changing potions and be able to take home some special beads that turn color in the sunlight. This class is limited to 15 children.
Soccer Skills Clinic is new this summer, with the Houlton High School varsity girls soccer coach Tim Tweedie and team conducting a soccer skills clinic. It will be held on August 9-12 at the Houlton High School soccer fields. Grades K-3 will go from 8:30-10 a.m. and grades 4-6 will go from 10:15-11:45 a.m.  Cost will be $20 for Houlton residents and $30 for non-Houlton residents.
Pitch Hit Run Competition: New this year is the skills competition of Pitch-Hit-Run  for youth between the ages of 7-14 years of age. This will be held on Sunday, May 2 at Community Park Fields.
Free to all youngsters that are participating, the pitching skills will test a youngster’s throwing skills, hitting skills will be measured for accuracy and distance and the running skills will be a timed event where the child will run from second base to home.
Age divisions and competition times are as follows: Boys baseball: 1 p.m. for 7-8 year-olds and 9-10 year-olds; 2 p.m. for 11-12 and 13-14 year-olds. Girls softball will be at 3 p.m. for all age groups.
Winners will qualify on to the sectional competition set for Bangor on May 22. Registration is required, please contact the Houlton Rec at 532-1310 by April 30. Parents will need to bring a copy of their child’s birth certificate on the day of the competition.
Junior Olympic Skills Competition: This event will be held on Wednesday, May 19 at the Houlton Rec Center. The four events include: tennis, basketball, track and soccer. Youth between the ages of 8-13 are invited to attend. Age deadline is August 31. Age divisions and times are as follows: 12 p.m., ages 8-9;  1 p.m. ages 10-11; and 2 p.m., 12-13.
This event is free to all participants. Participants may choose one, two, three or four events. Registration is required.