Mt. Laurel Residents Celebrate National Park and Recreation Month at 2nd Annual Community Campout

MOUNT LAUREL, NJ — The Mount Laurel community came together this past weekend to celebrate National Park and Recreation Month at what has become an annual event.

Mount Laurel's second-ever Community Campout was held on July 19 at Laurel Acres Park. The event was held in honor of National Park and Recreation Month, which has been celebrated every July since 1985 and promotes building strong, vibrant and resilient communities through the power of parks and recreation, according to the National Recreation and Park Association. The month also recognizes the over 160,000 full-time park and recreation professionals, along with hundreds of thousands of part-time and seasonal workers and volunteers, who maintain the countless local, state and community parks throughout the United States.

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Hosted by the Township of Mount Laurel, the Mount Laurel Police Department, the Mount Laurel Fire Department and Mount Laurel EMS and Mount Laurel FOP Lodge 191, Mount Laurel's Community Campout was a free overnight event for 75 Township kids, as well as their parents or guardians. Those who attended were treated to dinner and breakfast, fun activities and games including wiffle ball, cornhole and balloon animal-making, a bonfire, s'mores-making and a movie.

The theme of 2024 National Park and Recreation Month is "Where You Belong" and "celebrates the many ways park and recreation professionals across the country foster a sense of belonging in their community by providing welcoming and inclusive programs, essential services for all ages and abilities, and safe, accessible spaces to build meaningful connections," says the National Recreation and Park Association.

The theme was fitting, as the Mount Laurel Police Department thanked the many community organizations and businesses who made the 2nd Annual Community Campout a success, including the Mount Laurel Fire Department, Mount Laurel EMS, Mount Laurel Municipal Alliance, Mount Laurel FOP Lodge 191, the Township, Chil-fil-A of Centerton Square, Wegman's, Dunkin' Donuts of Route 38 and Briggs Road and J&J Hardware and Paint.

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