Member News

WILS Annual Luncheon - Flyer
Wednesday, February 7
9 am - 1 pm
Shakopee Community Center
1255 Fuller St South
Shakopee, MN 55379

Congratulations to the following members:

CLIFTON E. FRENCH AWARD

Rick Birno, Golden Valley

NELSON - NILES AWARD

Joey Schugel, New Ulm

HORIZON AWARD

Chelsea Swenhaugen, Inver Grove Heights

BOARD AND COMMISSION AWARD

Peter Dugan, Eagan

LEADERSHIP AWARD

Aimee Peterson, Maple Grove

TOMMY JOHNSON AWARD

City of Richfield

We look forward to honoring the award recipients at the Annual General Meeting and Awards Luncheon on January 12, 2024 at the Maple Grove Community Center.

Click here for the registration form

Click here to pay online

The City of Burnsville is excited to continue our yearly publication of Minnesota Best.

MRPA members should highly consider submitting their best facilities, events, park features, and programs for inclusion in Minnesota Best Ideas from any year are welcome to be included, and each city can submit as many entries as they'd like. This isn't a competition and there are no "winners;" all entries will be included in a published digital booklet.

The compiled information will be a valuable resource for parks and recreation departments across the state to create new and engaging programs for their communities from the ideas they garner from Minnesota Best.

We encourage all cities to submit as many entries as they’d like. Facilities, events, park features, and programs from any year are welcome to be included. All submissions will be compiled into a digital booklet and shared with the MRPA membership in early 2024.

Please submit entries at the link below by January 15 or via email: jess.skalicky@burnsvillemn.gov

https://burnsvillemn.gov/MNBest

Virtual Education in Partnership with Florida Recreation and Park Association (FRPA)

*Registration link will be emailed from FRPA

Reigniting your SPARRK - 24 Strategies to Jumpstart 2024!
December 6, 2023
noon - 1:30 p.m.

Play on Player: Celebrating Disability with Play
December 12, 2023
noon - 1:30 p.m.

Diversity Marketing in Parks and Recreation
January 16, 2024
noon - 1:30 p.m.

Project Management Essentials
January 31 2024
noon - 1:30 p.m.

Eat a Frog for Breakfast! Morning Fuel to Leap into your Day!
February 6, 2024
noon - 1:30 p.m.

Activate Communities Through Intentional Playground Design
February 13, 2024
noon - 1:30 p.m.

Click here for the registration form and further information

Click here to register online

Welcome to MRPA On the Air - a podcast for Minnesota Recreation and Park Association members and friends. Hosts Bryce and Meredith discuss everything parks and recreation throughout the entire state of Minnesota, including the latest MRPA news and events and what's going on in your association. MRPA is grateful to Landscape Structures and Flagship Recreation for their sponsorship of the podcast.

New Episode - Annual Conference 2023
Join hosts Bryce and Meredith for a conversation with Katie Yandell from the City of Plymouth about the 2023 Annual Conference.

The MRPA election for the Board of Directors and Recreational Sports Commission (RSC) is open. MRPA used the online platform, Election Runner, to ensure the integrity of the election. Election Runner has sent an email titled, Vote in the Election: MRPA Board of Directors.

Watch your inbox for the online ballot and check your spam folder if you don’t receive this email.  Also, if your system is set-up to send emails to your inbox under “Focused” or “Other,” please check the “Other” folder. 

All MRPA professional members will be able to vote until Wednesday, November 22 at 5 pm.

Here are the Board of Directors profiles:

President-Elect

Secretary

East Metro

West Metro

Southern Region

Please contact Michelle Snider with any questions at snider@mnrpa.org. We hope this format offers an accessible way to vote again this year. Thank you.

Hosts Bryce and Meredith discuss everything parks and recreation throughout the entire state of Minnesota, including the latest MRPA news and events and what's going on in your association. MRPA is grateful to Landscape Structures and Flagship Recreation for their sponsorship of the podcast.

Race and Equity - October 2023 

Hosts Bryce and Meredith talk with Radious Guess with the City of St. Louis Park and Annie Olson with Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.

Thank you to the delegates, exhibitors, volunteers, and sponsors for attending the 86th MRPA Annual Conference and Exhibit Hall at the Plymouth Community Center.  And a special thanks to the annual conference planning committee for an amazing conference! 

Thank you to the following 2023 Annual Conference sponsors:

Minnesota Recreation and Park Foundation - Education Partner

Landscape Structures / Flagship Recreation - Keynote Presentation

Bolton & Menk - Pre-Conference Institute, Breakfast on Thursday, and Golf Hole

KOMPAN - Pre-Conference Institute and Breakfast on Wednesday

St. Croix Recreation - Delegate Gift

SRF Consulting - Conference App

H+U Construction - Luncheon on Thursday

Stantec - Luncheon on Wednesday

OATI -- Luncheon for Off-Site Institutes and Students

TKDA - Breakfast on Friday

Hiway Credit Union - Keynote Presentation

WSB & Associates - Exhibit Hall

Musco Sports Lighting - Networking Event

RJM Construction - Networking Event

Sourcewell - Education Track

HKGI -- Directors' Forum

Confluence -- Session

Minnesota Wisconsin Playground -- Golf Hole

Spartan Promotional Group - Name Badges and Banners

Maintenance Rodeo Sponsors

MTI Distributing - Equipment and Prizes

Lano’s -- Equipment

Minnesota Equipment -- Equipment

Caribou Coffee -- Coffee

L&B Catering -- Donuts

Bituminous Roadways, Inc. Prizes

Pilot Rock -- Prizes

Donaldson -- Prizes

Did you miss the previous opportunity to order MRPA apparel or looking for MRPA swag?

The MRPA storefront is once again open until Thursday, October 5 and includes a variety of fun options: https://mrpa2023postconference.itemorder.com/

Thank you!

The 2023 Annual Conference is at capacity for Wednesday and Thursday.  Only Friday remains available.  For further information and registration details, visit https://mnrpa.org/MRPA-Annual-Conference