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(NOTE: Events are planned in Aberdeen, Brandon, Big Sioux State Park, Brookings, Hot Springs, Angostura State Park, Huron, Madison, Lake Herman State Park, Mitchell, Pierre, Rapid City, Sioux Falls, Spearfish, Vermillion, Watertown, Yankton and Lewis & Clark State Park. For a detailed list of activities and contact names, call the number below).
SOUTH DAKOTA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, August 03, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, August 03, 2007
CONTACT: Linda Ahrendt, (605) 773-3737
South Dakota Great Day of Play promotes physical activity
PIERRE, S.D. – Gov. Rounds has proclaimed August 15 the first South Dakota Great Day of Play and is urging children, adults and families to increase physical activity by getting out and playing in state and city parks. The event is sponsored by the South Dakota Parks and Recreation Association and the Department of Health’s Healthy South Dakota initiative.
“South Dakota is blessed with wonderful state and city parks that offer our residents a wealth of opportunities to be active,” said Secretary of Health Doneen Hollingsworth. “We invite South Dakotans to take advantage of the Great Day of Play to get out in their local parks and enjoy the activities with their friends and families.”
Events are planned in 14 South Dakota communities for this first annual observance. Activities planned for the day range from canoeing and disc golf to rock climbing walls and bocce ball. Several sites are also offering free admission to facilities such as pools and golf courses.
Hollingsworth said the Great Day of Play is the latest effort of the Healthy South Dakota initiative launched in 2005 to address the state’s growing obesity problem by increasing physical activity and improving nutrition.
According to Department of Health surveys, 17% of South Dakota students 5 to 19 years old are at-risk for overweight or already overweight. Additionally, 52% of South Dakota adults reported in 2005 that they didn’t get 30 minutes or more of moderate physical activity each day, which is essential for good health.
To find out about Great Day of Play activities in your area, contact your local parks and recreation department or check the web www.healthysd.gov.