POCATELLO — The Parks and Recreation Department and the Marshall Public Library leaders detailed a variety of spectacular summertime activities and events for the public to enjoy during a meeting at City Hall Tuesday night.

Anne Butler, director of the Pocatello Parks and Recreation Department, announced the newly revamped Community Recreation Center is now open for public swimming every Monday and Wednesday from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The rec center is also offering a variety of fitness classes in both the morning and evening and is inviting the public to explore its new 3,200-square-foot weight room.

Butler provided the following details about the Pocatello Parks and Recreation Department’s summer lineup:

The Ross Park Aquatic Complex will open Memorial Day weekend with a variety of new improvements and fun activities, including family night, teen splash dances, sensory friendly swim opportunities and lazy river resistance walking.

Zoo Idaho opened its gates May 1 and will provide plenty of youth educational opportunities via day classes and summer half-day camps. The annual free day at the zoo will run from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. on May 31.

The city will also offer a variety of women’s mountain biking clinics for beginners and intermediates starting on May 20 and continuing throughout the coming weeks, culminating in the Midweek Race Series on May 29.

The Portneuf Valley Fun Run Series also kicked off in May with the Spring Scamper and will continue next month with the June Jaunt. Other upcoming races include the Firecracker Frenzy, Summer Sizzler and Ross Park Rendezvous.

The Parks and Recreation Adventure Seekers Program begins June 2, offering a wide variety of engaging activities for youth that includes stream exploration, kayaking, fishing, paddle boarding, rock climbing, disc golf and more. The program offers rock climbing for younger children, teenagers and adults all summer long.

Registration for team sports including baseball and volleyball for teens and adults will open beginning in July.

The parks department also provided updates to Purce Park, located at North Seventh Avenue and East Fremont Street near the Senior Activity Center, where new playground equipment was recently installed and will soon open. The city is hoping to host a celebration to honor the Purce family and their contributions to Pocatello sometime around July 3.

The Idaho State Journal in January reported that a collaborative effort between NeighborWorks Pocatello and the Bonneville Neighborhood Association, resulted in Bonneville Community Park becoming Purce Park, which also received a complete renovation to honor one of Pocatello’s oldest and most respected families.

The Purce family has roots going back to Pocatello’s beginnings and donated some of the land for the eponymous park’s creation.

Butler also detailed updates for other city parks including one of Pocatello’s newest developments, Legacy Park at 3350 Iron Bend Drive near The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Temple on the city’s north side is having its irrigation tested and the installation of playground equipment and grass seeding will follow later this summer.

Construction of the new skate Park at Optimist Park near City Hall is also proceeding as planned with a completion date set for some time in mid- to late-July. The parks department is also planning on including new signage that is in alignment with the city’s new branding initiative over the next few months, Butler said.

Free activities outlined by Butler include the Con Gilmore Pickleball Courts, the O.K. Ward Park ICCU Splash Pad which opens Memorial Day weekend, disc golf courses, dog parks, miles of Portneuf Greenway trails and other events including the popular Poky Paddle on June 13.

Marshall Public Library director Eric Suess also spoke at Tuesday night’s meeting announcing the reading theme for 2025 is “Color our World,” and detailed the library’s summer programs:

Story times for babies, toddlers and preschoolers will be offered every week. The story times are designed to promote learning and literacy and allow quality time for the children and their caregivers. STEAM night and a Lego club will also be hosted each month at the library.

Teens and young adults can also be involved during the summer with weekly young adult writer’s clubs along with young adult trading card game meetups for Pokemon and Magic the Gathering. Other activities later in June include a Dungeons and Dragons night and an after-hours board game night.

Adults can also immerse into some sensational summer fun with weekly Pocatello Knitters and Crocheters events every week along with activities over the coming weeks and months that include a “Book Tasting,” guest speakers, a “Flavor our World” bread-breaking program and the library’s second annual jigsaw puzzle tournament in late July.

For a detailed list of events, dates, times and registration information for any Parks and Recreation program visit pocatello.gov/279/Activity-Guide. Marshall Public Library programs can be found at marshallpl.org/calendar.