Hattiesburg Parks and Recreation takes home 4 statewide awards

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WDAM) - The City of Hattiesburg’s Parks and Recreation department took home four awards across a variety of programs this week from this year’s annual conference for the Mississippi Recreation and Parks Association.

“These awards are a testament to the efforts of our employees who put hundreds of hours into programming for our community,” said Betsy Mercier, interim director. “From a creative addition to the City’s annual New Year’s Eve celebration and a program that encouraged movement to our annual clean-up event and hosting one of the largest baseball tournaments in the Gulf South - our Parks & Recreation department continues to elevate engagement opportunities while also maintaining facilities.”

Awards were given for the following programs:

Confetti Countdown at Midnight on Front Street - Arts and Humanities Award of Merit- Single Program
Winter Wellness Challenge - Recreation Programming Award of Merit- Single Program
Make a Difference Day - Recreation Programming Award of Merit- Single Program
Dixie Youth World Series - Award of Excellence in Special Events Sports Programming

“I’m proud of our staff and partners for the work they continue to do for annual events and innovative programming,” said Mayor Toby Barker. “Some have grown into community staples - with consistent growth in participation - and others have established new opportunities for engagement. Growing as a premier city in the Gulf South comes with a strategic approach to maintaining our parks and facilities and adding to the quality of life through programming, and our department continues to knock that out of the park.”

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