Blog: City Blog

KORE Challenge: Try Art in the Park - or Maybe a Pickup Game of Gaga Ball

Who's up for a recreation challenge - especially one with fun paint-by-number coloring sheets, BINGO cards promoting local parks, and a chance to win prizes?

Video of Mayor Kincannon and neighborhood residents playing a game of Nine Square in the Air at the first KORE with Mayor K event at Harriet Tubman Park on April 5

The City Parks and Recreation Department's KORE (Knoxville Outdoor Recreation Experience) Program was started years ago to promote a variety of outdoor sports and activities for all age and fitness levels at parks across the city.

But the fun got kicked up a few notches this spring with the KORE 50/100 Challenge and a series of KORE with Mayor K events.

The challenge is simply an invitation to residents to take part in 50 or 100 hours of outdoor activities and to track their progress using the new coloring sheets, such as this one:

This is one of the KORE Challenge coloring sheets.

"The goal of KORE and the new initiatives developed this year is to help people get outdoors and have fun, all while working on their physical, emotional, spiritual and mental health," Parks and Rec Director Sheryl Ely says. "It is this holistic view of our lives that supports a healthy lifestyle.

"So, go out for a walk, have a picnic, bike a greenway or trail, play at a playground, lay on the grass in the sun, do some yoga... But most of all, enjoy your time outside."

Mayor Kincannon is filling out her own personal coloring sheet. In fact, she's sharing some of her park exploration experiences with families throughout Knoxville, as seven City parks are hosting KORE with Mayor K events through early May. Activities include KORE mobile games, art in the park, and enjoying various amenities that each park offers - for example, tennis or basketball, depending on what courts are available at the host park.

If you go to a KORE with Mayor K event, anticipate seeing City Recreation Specialist Megan Gerlach.

"My truck and I go to every event," says Gerlach, a City employee since October 2017 and the driver of the City's colorful KORE truck.

Have games, will travel. Gerlach is zealous about delivering outdoor games and activities to what she refers to as "recreation deserts."

"It's always fun to do KORE events," she says. "I'm passionate about my job. With the KORE Challenge, there's a big emphasis on getting people into a variety of parks. The energy level is really high. I love the concept."

When Gerlach sets up gaga ball, an inflatable pit 20 feet wide, and gets participants swatting, dodging, running and jumping, well, it's almost impossible to sit motionless on the sidelines. You're more likely to get swept up by Gerlach's enthusiasm and that of the players.

Megan Gerlach and the KORE truck

If you haven't embraced the KORE Challenge yet, there's still time. Download forms HERE or pick up copies at a recreation center. If you submit a completed tracking sheet by 5 p.m. Monday, May 24, 2021, you're eligible for a chance to win prizes, such as splash passes to a City outdoor pool.Completed forms can be emailed to [email protected] or mailed to: KORE 50/100 Challenge, Knoxville Parks & Recreation Department, 5930 Lyons View Pike, Knoxville TN 37919.

Meanwhile, enjoy this photo gallery of kids having fun at the second KORE with Mayor K outing at Cumberland Estates Park on April 7, 2021:

KORE with Mayor K outing at Cumberland Estates Park on April 7.

All smiles when the KORE truck rolls up.

KORE introduces kids to new games and activities.

Posted by evreeland On 29 April, 2021 at 10:57 PM