City of Shawnee

Parks and Rec Month

Parks and Rec Month Logo
Each July, Shawnee Parks & Recreation joins the National Recreation and Parks Association to celebrate the spaces, places, programs and people that make up the Parks & Recreation field. We join the celebration with free programs, events, activities and fun surprises for residents and neighbors. Join in as we Explore, Engage and Connect this July!

Special Parks & Recreation Month Events

Popsicles in the Park: Saturday, July 1
Stay cool this July with popsicles in the park! Make a splash at one of our two splash pads and grab a sweet treat. Be sure to pick up a calendar of our upcoming FREE Parks & Recreation Month activities!

Date: July 1, 2023
Time: 10:15am-10:45am
Cost: Free
Location: Wilder Bluff Park

Date: July 1, 2023
Time: 11:00am-11:30am
Cost: Free
Location: Erfurt Park
Freedom Fling: Tuesday, July 4
Make a splash this 4th of July! Each pool will have concession specials and games every hour beginning at 1:00pm with our annual soda pop drop at 2:00pm!

Date: July 4, 2023
Time: 12:30pm-5:00pm
Cost: Free for season pass holders, 1/2 price admission with a canned food donation
Location: The Thomas A. Soetaert Aquatic Center and Splash Cove
Time Travelers: Thursday, July 6
Our favorite summer series is BACK! Bring your family and enjoy a trip back to 1929 with interactive day at our historic truck farm or recreated Shawnee downtown, every Tuesday and Thursday from June 13 to August 3. Enjoy fan favorite activities like farmstead laundry and grocery shopping along with NEW bonus activities and special guests featured each week! Each week features a new theme with different highlights, and kids can also pick up a scavenger hunt for added fun.  

Life on a Truck Farm 

It’s the busy season on the farm! Time to harvest and wash the vegetables, hang laundry, and make lunch in the farm kitchen. 

Date: July 6, 2023
Time: 10:00am-2:00pm
Cost: Free
Location: Shawnee Town 1929

*Today’s program is sponsored by our “Healthier Because We Live Here” Community Wellness Hub. The hub offers a trusted gathering place that connects every member of the community to essential programs, services and spaces to the neighborhoods, schools, and our neighbors. For more information, visit cityofshawnee.org/wellnesshub.  
Chalk It Up: Saturday, July 8
Spread some cheer with a little chalk! Join us for a morning of art in the park. We'll provide the chalk, you bring the creativity! Draw your favorite character or spread messages of love and cheer. 

Date: July 8, 2023
Time: 9:00am-10:00am
Cost: Free
Location: Listowel Park
Zumba in the Park: Wednesday, July 12
Take the "work" out of workout with this calorie-burning dance fitness party in the park! Please a water bottle.

Date: July 12, 2023
Time: 7:00pm-8:00pm
Cost: Free
Location: Swarner Park
Yoga in the Park: Saturday, July 15
Join us for a FREE morning stretch in a beautiful park setting. This practice is great for beginners, and a nice "recovery" workout for athletes. Please bring a mat and water bottle.

Date: July 15, 2023
Time: 9:00am-9:45am
Cost: Free
Location: Erfurt Park
Mobile Wellness Fair: Saturday, July 15
We are Healthier Because We Live Here! Join Shawnee Parks & Recreation and our Mobile Wellness Hub partners for a monthly Mobile Wellness Fair. These fairs are FREE and open to the public. Each fair will include food distribution from Harvesters, wellness screenings, fun and games with Shawnee's Wellness Hub, and special entertainment.

The Mobile Wellness Fair Food Pantry is available for anyone in the community. Each participant receives a healthy amount of meat, fruit, vegetables & other items. Distribution begins at 9:30am and goes till 11:30am or till the food has been distributed.

Mr. & Mrs. Claus will be making the trek down from the North Pole to share a story time with all our littles!

Date: July 15, 2023
Time: 9:30am-11:30am
Cost: Free
Location: Shawanoe Elementary School, 11230 W 75th St
Dive-In Movie (Finding Nemo): Saturday, July 15
Join your family, friends, and neighbors for a Dive-In Movie Night on Saturday, July 15th at the Soetaert Aquatic Center, 13805 Johnson Drive. The gates will open at 8:00 p.m. and the movie will start at dusk. Bring your own flotation device or use ours and get ready to watch Finding Nemo under the stars.

Date: July 15, 2023
Time: The gates open at 8:00pm and the movie begins at dusk
Cost: Free with a canned food donation
Location: The Thomas A. Soetaert Aquatic Center
Touch-a-Truck: Wednesday, July 19
Fire trucks and tractors and bobcats, oh my! Bring your little ones out to Shawnee Town 1929/Herman Laird Park on Wednesday, July 19th. Watch their eyes light up as they sit in the driver's seat of these big trucks and old rigs, we will have some of our 1920s vehicles on display as well! 

Date: July 19, 2023
Time: 5:00pm-6:30pm
Cost: FREE
Location: Shawnee Town 1929/Herman Laird Park
Gab and Garden: Thursday, July 20
Celebrate Parks & Recreation Month with Shawnee Parks & Recreation at West Flanders Park for a tour of the new rose garden! Johnson County Master Gardeners have been hard at work developing a beautiful and serene garden. Join them in the gardens to ask questions and learn more about the garden and their program.

Date: July 20, 2023
Time: 8:30-10:00am
Cost: Free
Location: West Flanders Park
Dance Fit: Saturday, July 22
Get a full body workout with this high-energy dance fitness class! Halie Strickler with Dance Fit 21 is excited to share her Adaptive Recreation class with a special outdoor program in honor of Parks & Recreation Month. Grab friend and grow in strength, endurance, and accountability to meet your fitness goals!

Date: July 22, 2023
Time: 9:00am-10:00am
Cost: FREE
Location: West Flanders Park
Jammin' on the Green: Wednesday, July 26
Sit under the summer sky and enjoy tunes by Kansas City’s own Grand Marquis! Inspired by the Kansas City blues scene, New Orleans jazz, and Memphis soul, Grand Marquis creates a blend of American roots music with plenty of original material and revitalized classics.

Admission is free, and bottled water and popsicles are provided. Guests are encouraged to bring their own chairs, and limited bench and picnic table seating is available. Be sure to park and enter by the Visitor Center at 11501 W 57th Street, Shawnee, KS 66203.

Date: July 26, 2023
Time: 7:00pm-8:30pm
Cost: FREE
Location: Shawnee Town 1929
Aqua Bootcamp: Saturday, July 29
Join us to burn calories and de-stress with this high-intensity  workout at the pool! Using weights, floats, deep and shallow water, this workout focuses on toning your body with interval strength and cardiovascular training. Bring your suit and get ready to feel a new kind of burn under the sun!

Date: July 29, 2023
Time: 9:00am-10:00am
Cost: FREE
Location: Thomas A. Soetaert Aquatic Center

Pre-Registration for this activity is required. Register online.
Pickleball: Monday, July 31
Funny name, serious sport! Try your hand at Pickleball at the Shawnee Civic Centre! This popular sport combines elements of tennis and badminton. 

Date: July 31, 2023
Time: 9:00am-12:00pm
Cost: FREE
Location: The Shawnee Civic Centre