THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021
LATEST NEWS & UPDATES
As we start to see nicer weather here in Sterling Heights, we know many of you want to take full advantage of the amenities our City parks have to offer!

As of last week, Sand volleyball nets at Dodge Park and Farmstead Park are officially open for the season!

Also, all park restrooms throughout the parks will be open by the end of this week!

We look forward to seeing you out at the parks!
In case you missed it, the city of Sterling Heights announced last week the rollout of a collection of signature events and amenities for the remainder of 2021.

Labeled “Break-Free Blast,” these events and activities are designed for all ages and interests, providing something every resident can enjoy. All activities will be conducted based on current public health guidelines at the time they occur.

Break-Free Blast events include:
  • Memorial Day – On May 31 at 9 a.m., Sterling Heights will pay tribute to our local veterans with a brief ceremony in front of City Hall including remarks from Sterling Heights elected officials / representative and a special unveiling of the newly renovated City Hall Memorial Garden. Following the ceremony, we’ll take a special multi-vehicle Memorial Day “cruise” in honor of our local heroes along an expanded route. Additional details will be released in early May.

  • Cultural Exchange – On June 18 at 6 p.m. Sterling Heights will celebrate the various cultures that make up the fabric of our community. This year’s event will be held under the Dodge Park Farmers Market and will feature several cultural performances from local groups, ethnic cuisine from a variety of food trucks and special displays featuring the history and traditions of various cultures.

  • Summer Thursdays – From May 27 to September 30, residents will have three opportunities for fun. From 3-8 p.m., the Dodge Park Farmers Market will offer fresh local produce, food trucks and more. Beginning at 5 p.m., Patios ‘n’ Pints across the street offers your favorite local craft brews in a fun, casual atmosphere next to the Upton House Museum. Breweries will rotate each week, and additional beverages will also be available. Then at 7 p.m., Music in the Park will bring live, local music from multiple genres and eras to the Dodge Park Amphitheatre.

  • National Night Out – On Aug. 3 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m., residents have an opportunity to share the evening with our local police officers, getting to know then on a personal level. This event held in various communities across the nation is designed to strengthen relationships between police and their community to develop a unified front in fighting crime and keeping our City safe. National Night Out includes games, prizes, a chance to learn more about local public safety organizations and more.

  • (Sterling)Oktoberfest – Due to lingering capacity limits for public gatherings, this year’s Sterlingfest will become Oktoberfest. On Oct. 8 and 9, Dodge Park will feature two national acts on the amphitheatre stage – Plain White T’s on Oct. 8 and Lou Gramm The Original Voice of Foreigner / Asia Featuring John Payne on Oct. 9. In addition, six local favorite musical acts are scheduled for the Beer Pavilion over those two days, and a variety of food trucks will also be on hand just outside the pavilion.

  • Sterling Frights – On Oct. 23, Sterling Heights celebrates the spirit of Halloween with Sterling Frights. The event will include music, games, attractions, food and plenty of photo opportunities – all designed around public health guidelines.

  • A Sterling Christmas – On Dec. 4, Sterling Heights rounds out our Break-Free Blast series of events by celebrating the magic of the season with A Sterling Christmas. The event includes the City’s annual tree lighting highlighted by Santa’s arrival. There will be several activities for all ages as we ring in the holidays.

In addition to scheduled signature events, Break-Free Blast includes multiple seasonal amenities offering the opportunity to walk/run, skate, pedal, paddle or splash. The Sterling Heights Splash Pad is scheduled to be open Memorial Day through Labor Day. Residents and visitors can canoe or kayak the Clinton River from April to October. The Sterling Heights ice rink is open early December to early March, and our skate park and connected public trail system, including respite locations and bike repair stations, are open all year long.
Sterling Heights Parks and Recreation will be hosting a blood drive with Versiti Blood Services at the Community Center on Monday, April 19 from 2:00 to 7:00 p.m.

Help us exceed our March blood drive results!

March Blood Drive Results:
Collected: 27 units
First time donors: 19
Lives Impacted: 81

For questions, or to make an appointment, call Kaila at (918) 859-9632.

You can also schedule an appointment on the Versiti website.
Come to the Sterling Heights Senior Center parking lot and show us your artistic talents on Friday, April 30 for our Parking Lot Picassos event!

Each family will be provided with a designated parking lot space to decorate!

We will provide you with the "asphalt canvas", all the chalk you need to decorate, and a special treat to eat when your "work of art" is complete!

This outdoor activity is designed for family fun; dress for the weather!
In honor of Earth Day on Thursday, April 22, we are asking you to help spread the word to promote a clean, healthy, and sustainable habitat for people and wildlife alike!

We want you to decorate a rock inspired by “Earth Day”. Whether it is a picture, quote, or both, paint it on a rock and stop by the Nature Center to add your “Earth Day Rock” to our rock garden! 

The Nature Center staff — with help from the Sterling Heights Art Rocks group — have created a rock garden located in our atrium for the Sterling Heights community to enjoy, and these rocks will be the perfect addition!

A bin to place your rocks in will be located outside beginning Saturday, April 10 through Wednesday, April 21.

On Earth Day check out our Facebook page to see all the rocks we collected.
The Sterling Heights Parks and Recreation Department, in cooperation with Utica Community Schools and Warren Consolidated Schools, will be offering a playground program at a school near you!

Activities include arts and crafts, games, sports, art show, special events and more!

Ages: 6 to 14 years old

Time: Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to noon / 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. A staff member is present during the lunch period from noon to 12:30 p.m.

Starts/Ends: Monday, June 28 to Thursday, August 5, 2021.
This is a drop-in program; daily or full day attendance is not required.

Fees: Residents: $110 per Sterling Heights resident OR $165 per non-Sterling Heights resident.

Modifications have been made to our summer program to ensure our participants and staff remain safe. Check out more info on our website!
Let's stay active! Registration is officially open for our fitness classes, and we have a lot to offer!

Let us help you reach your goals of being more active this summer! From cardio to yoga to 50+ programs to Youth and Adaptive Rec, we have something for everyone!
Experience the wonderful health benefits of yoga through a modified practice. 

Chair yoga is a gentle form of yoga that is practiced sitting on a chair or standing using a chair for support.

Join our upcoming Chair Yoga program beginning May 12 and practice breathing techniques, stretching, balance, and stability poses.

This is a great exercise for seniors who would like the benefits of yoga but do not want to get up and down off the floor.
For 2021, instead of a one-day Healthy Living Expo, we will be offering an 18-week Healthy Living Experience!

The Healthy Living Experience will be a community wide health initiative offering events in-person, virtual and on your own that will encourage community engagement, healthy minds and bodies.

Each month, participants will receive that month's list of programs, activity ideas, information from local businesses offering exclusive promotions and much more!

The first 500 registrants will also receive a Healthy Living goody bag at the end of the experience full of fun treats that will help encourage participants to continue living a healthy lifestyle into the future!
Sterling Heights Nature Center is now hosting Virtual Field Trips for schools, scouts, special programs and home-schools!

Here’s how it works:
Simply invite us to your virtual Zoom meeting or any other platform. Please have participants muted during the presentation. Then sit back and enjoy the show.
 
The Virtual Field Trip is approximately 30 minutes long. Our presentation includes LIVE turtle, toad and snake, and will entertain, as well as educate, all ages. 

At the end of the program, the group will be able to ask questions.

Any questions or to schedule your virtual field trip, contact:
Brenda Suchenek
(586) 446-2712
From exploring outside through the trail to learning fun facts about different birds, we had an im-peck-able time at the Nature Center this past weekend for our Bird is the Word event!