LaceyLife – September 2022
Join us for Children’s Day: A Free, Family Event!
Saturday, October 1 · 11 am – 2 pm · Huntamer Park
Children’s Day — sponsored by Chick-fil-A of Lacey — is the perfect way to kick off fall. It’s a Saturday afternoon of family fun featuring a variety of free activities, arts and crafts, and entertainment for children of all ages! We’ll even have a special visit from the Reptile Man! Bring your appetite, there will be on-site food vendors with a variety of eats and treats
for purchase.
Following this year’s theme — Go Wild! — we invite you to dress up as your favorite animal or put on your best adventure or khaki attire (of course, it’s not required) and get ready to have a great time!
Children’s Day is a partnership between the City of Lacey, North Thurston Public Schools, and Lacey Timberland Library. This event happens rain or shine! For more details, visit the Children’s Day webpage.
Save the Date! Greg Cuoio Park Open House:
Wednesday, September 28, time & location TBA
In April, the City completed the Greg Cuoio Park & Greenways Master Plan and is ready to move forward with the design of the Park’s Phase 1A Improvements. As part of the process, the community is invited to an open house to learn more about the improvements and provide input on the proposed playground.
You can learn more about the project and open house by visiting on the Greg Cuoio Park webpage. You can also watch for more details on the City’s Facebook page.
This is a great opportunity for community members to stay connected with the Greg Cuoio Park and Greenways Project. We hope you can make it!
Lacey Police Department Gears Up for Community Academy this Fall
The Lacey Police Department (LPD) and our community work together to ensure we have a safe place to live, work, and play. This partnership is critical in maintaining Lacey’s high quality of life and allowing the LPD to proactively respond to emerging issues facing the community.
As a way to enhance this connection and transparency with the community, the LPD revamped and relaunched their Community Academy following a 10+ year hiatus.
This fall, 25 community members will take part in the 7-week training course that provides a deeper look into the LPD facilities, operations, training, outreach practices, and more. In addition, participants will have an opportunity to take part in hands-on training with defensive tactics, less-lethal tools, mock scenes, etc.
The LPD plans to continue offering this interactive, informative community training in the future. Watch for the next opportunity to participate on our website and in future newsletters.
To learn more about the Lacey Police Department, visit their webpage.
Parksploration: Long Lake Park
Did you know we have access to one the of the State’s best municipal park systems right here in Lacey? Lacey’s Park System has just under 1,200 acres of park land and open spaces, miles of ADA-accessible trails, hiking trails, several community buildings, and a premier regional athletic complex.
Our community is also lucky to have one of the finest swimming beaches in Thurston County at Long Lake Park. The popular park, with its beautiful evergreen entrance, has 285 feet of beach-lake frontage, sand volleyball courts, picnic tables and facilities, and a natural trail through the woods.
If you’re looking for a place to cool off on a hot day, have a family picnic, or just enjoy the day — Long Lake Park is a great choice!
Please note: Although dogs on leashes are welcome in the park, they are not allowed on the beach or in the swim area. In addition, the park does not have lifeguards on duty. We remind park users to follow safe water practices when taking part in water activities.
Learn more and discover other Lacey parks and trails, by visiting the Lacey Parks website.
City Purchases Property Adjacent to Long Lake Park for Future Park Expansion
The City recently purchased the property adjacent to Long Lake Park, located at 2802 Boat Launch St SE (see map). The heavily wooded, 1.81-acre property includes 420 feet of lakefront.
In 1983, the City recognized the community benefit this site would provide and worked with the property owners to receive a Right of First Refusal. This gave the City the option to purchase the property before anyone else. The City also included the purchase of this property in the 1983 Long Lake Park Master Plan.
The 2017 Lacey Parks, Culture, and Recreation Comprehensive Plan identifies the property purchase as a Prioritized Action based on public input for more places to swim and water access for recreational purposes.
Earlier this year, the City was given the option to buy the property. During their June 16 meeting, the City Council approved the purchase. This property provides an opportunity to expand Long Lake Park and incorporate additional active and passive recreational activities at the site. The City looks forward to working with our community to identify park amenity priorities and create future plans for this amazing, public asset.
Watch for more information on our website and in future editions of LaceyLife.
Energize Lacey: Survey Reminder
Lacey Parks, Culture & Recreation needs your help defining priorities for the next six years by taking the Energize Lacey online survey, available through the end of September.
To find out more about the Energize Lacey process and access the survey link, visit the Energize Lacey webpage.
Learn A Bit of History! 1968: The Year That Rocked Washington Temporary Exhibit
Now through the end of October, check out the temporary exhibit on 1968 at the Lacey Museum and City Hall, during regular business hours.
Change was in the air. Everywhere. From Saigon to Seattle, Paris to Pasco. On college campuses, the campaign trail, and evergreen peaks — Washingtonians were spurred to action. It was the year the Vietnam War, civil rights, women’s liberation, and conservation coalesced — the year tragedy led the 6 o’clock news with numbing regularity.
1968: The Year That Rocked Washington is an exhibit and a series of online stories that document how 1968 changed us in ways still rippling through our society a half-century later.
To learn more and get details visit the Lacey Museum website.
