Centerville-Washington Park District

09/01/2026

Need some motivation to get your steps in? Check out this September challenge from America 250-Ohio! Sign up, then head outside to start earning your prize! Walk in your neighborhood, or pick a different park for each walk -- whatever keeps you going!

IT'S LIVE! 👟 Our America 250-Ohio 25-Mile Walking Challenge starts TODAY!

The America 250-Ohio 25-Mile Walking Challenge officially launched earlier today at the beautiful Salt Fork State Park — and you can start logging miles right now!

This challenge kicks off our September theme, Ohio Plays: Sports & Fitness, celebrating Ohio's passion for sports, wellness, and getting outside.

The Challenge: Walk a total of 25 miles anywhere in Ohio from TODAY through September 30th and earn your choice of an exclusive medal, challenge pin, or certificate of completion. 🇺🇸🥇

How to join:
1️⃣ Download the FREE Pacer app
2️⃣ Enter challenge code: AM250OH
3️⃣ Start walking!

Whether it's in your neighborhood, at your favorite state park, or your daily exercise with the pup, every step counts toward celebrating 250 years.

Who's ready to get moving with us? 🙌

🔗 Full details:
https://america250-ohio.org/walking-challenge/

08/31/2026

We had such a great time celebrating National Dog Day with you all. We hope your furry friends had as much fun at Pup-chella as we did!

Thank you to all of our community partners and vendors that helped make this event extra special: 4 Paws For Ability, Friends of SICSA , Humane Society of Greater Dayton, Marley's Paw Bakery (Aliyah Burks), Montgomery County Animal Resource Center and Parkside Preserve.

Don't miss out on our next event for Fido — the Hound Hike at Bill Yeck Park, Smith House on Sunday, October 18, from 4 – 6 p.m.

08/28/2026

It'ssssss time for a guessing game! The gray ratsnake (formerly known as the black ratsnake) is Ohio's largest snake species! Snakes shed their skin as they grow and when they need to repair damaged scales. They even shed a protective layer off their eyes!

By rubbing against rocks or branches, they often shed their outer layer in one long piece, just like this one we found at Grant Park during a butterfly survey. An adult gray ratsnake sheds about 3 to 4 times per year. Fully grown, they are often between 5 and 8 feet long--that's a lot of scales to shed!

Take a guess at how long this snake skin measures! We'll post the answer later today!

08/27/2026

We love seeing kids enjoying the parks; that's why we have them! But we are also here to make sure your playgrounds, trails and other park spaces stay safe and in good shape for everyone. Recently, and with increasing frequency, e-motos have been ridden on playground surfaces, courts and trails where they are not permitted. The result? Extensive damage to surfacing that needs to be repaired. Repairs cost money, and ultimately, those costs are paid by our residents. To state the obvious, the more money we spend on repairing damage due to vandalism, the less funding we have for other park improvements. 😔

We know these bikes are fun to ride, but CWPD parks are not the place for them. E-motos are not permitted anywhere in your parks, other than the parking lots. We're not sharing these photos to shame or identify anyone. In fact, we really, really dislike making posts like this. We simply want our community to understand what's happening and why the rules matter. And we would like some help.

Please talk with your children about the importance of respecting these public spaces. Our parks belong to the entire community, and we all have a role in taking care of them. Help us protect the parks we all enjoy. Keep e-motos where they are permitted, and keep them off playgrounds, courts and park trails. They are causing damage all over the district; this is only one example of the damage done to the courts and the playground safety surface at one park.

Let's keep your community's BIG backyard safe and fun for everyone!

(Photo of the rider was submitted to us by a park visitor. We have others, but we didn't want to show any faces.)

08/26/2026

The next issue of the "In Your BIG Backyard" enewsletter is queued and ready to send Friday afternoon! But are you on the list? We'll hit your inbox the last Friday of each month with your park preview for the next month!

Want in? Visit cwpd.org and scroll to the bottom of the page to sign up!

08/24/2026

Fall is a beautiful time in your parks! Imagine getting paid to spend time in them! 🤔

We’re hiring seasonal park operations technicians to help keep your parks looking their best through the end of fall. Assist in the daily maintenance of all parks, including mowing, athletic field preparation, turfgrass maintenance, playground maintenance, litter and trash pickup, hiking trail maintenance, truck and trailer operation and fence repair.

Learn more and help us spread the word: https://cwpd.bamboohr.com/careers/110

08/24/2026

The Fairy and Gnome Home Festival is right around the corner! Our gnome construction crew is looking for some very specific building materials from nature. If you think you can help them out, we will be collecting the items below through Friday, September 11th.

08/21/2026

You spoke. We listened! Shade is officially having a moment at CWPD. 😎

More shade has been one of the most requested park amenities in recent resident surveys. Thanks to your feedback, two new shade structures are now in place at the Iron Horse Park playground!

This year, we’ve also added more shade to Activity Center, Forest Field, Oak Grove and Robert F. Mays Parks.

And the shade story doesn’t end there. As we do every fall, soon we’ll be planting more trees to provide shade the natural way.

Your input helps guide where we invest in your parks. Thanks for helping make your community’s BIG backyard even better!

08/20/2026

Some memories deserve to take root. Imagine visiting your favorite park years from now and seeing a tree planted in honor of someone you love. 💚

CWPD’s Tree Dedication Program offers a lasting way to celebrate someone special, honor a loved one or mark a meaningful occasion, from birthdays to anniversaries to outstanding achievements.

Want your tree planted this year? Dedication forms must be received by October 1. Trees are planted in November or December.

Let us know if you have any questions about this program. You can find the link to the dedication form in the comments.

08/18/2026

Oh no! School is back in session and our playgrounds are already getting lonely!

Who recognizes which park we just visited? We spy something new (and blue) that will make swinging a little cooler on these warm August evenings! Yay for more shade!