WEBVTT
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Hi, I'm Wayne Larson, Director of Public Affairs
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for St. John's County. Welcome to this episode
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of our podcast program called County Conversations.
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a program to help build community trust within
00:00:19.859 --> 00:00:22.399
our community and keep the public informed about
00:00:22.399 --> 00:00:25.140
county programs and services. On this episode
00:00:25.140 --> 00:00:27.379
of County Conversations, we're having a conversation
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with Ryan Kane, our Director of Parks and Recreation.
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Welcome back to the show, Ryan. Thanks for having
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me. Wayne, appreciate it. On this episode, let's
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talk, Ryan, about the county's events and veterans
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programs. Your department, your team, Parks and
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Recreation, puts on just a wonderful array of
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special events. Talk a little bit about some
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of the events that you offer to the community,
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where those events are located, and maybe what
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time of the year they happen. Yeah, these are
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internal events operated by Parks and Recreation,
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free to the community. For most of the events,
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some of them do have registration. Some are very
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youth -specific events, like the Kids Just Try
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It Triathlon that we just recently had. We had
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180 athletes participate in that this year. That
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was over at the Solomon Calhoun pool. Now, you
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say triathlon. This is like what we see on TV.
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This is the kids rode a bike. They swam. They
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did a marathon like... this is like legit yeah
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not a marathon but they swam bike road and ran
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and the transitions is really the neat thing
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to watch with the kids so from coming out of
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the pool and getting onto the bike and then off
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of the bike onto to the running and just to see
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the children kind of go through that first experience
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is really neat exciting thing and and the parents
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are just as involved very excited to be there
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and it's just a good opportunity for them to
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get out That's amazing. I can't remember or recall
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knowing any city or county parks and recreation
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department that's putting on a triathlon. That's
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pretty unique. Yeah, well, for the youth level,
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100%. And as the title is, just try it, pun intended.
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And so they get to get out and have that experience
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and have it in a relaxed environment where they
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can take their time and... Make sure they accomplish
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all three and we'll get into community partnerships
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in another podcast episode But just briefly you
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couldn't have done it by yourself You had a strong
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partner with the Parks Foundation correct Parks
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Foundation was a major driver to helping us get
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that to be successful So very much appreciate
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that Parks Foundation is a separate entity from
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st. John's County But really partners with us
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to take Special programs that we have and take
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them to the next level for the community residents
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You've got some other special events that happen
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throughout the year things such as movies in
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the park and some other things, talk about those.
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Yeah, some of my favorite special events are
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those community gatherings where everybody comes
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out to the site. So movies in the park, we just
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had an immensely successful one. Showcase Jaws
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down at the St. Augustine Beach. You showed Jaws
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at the beach. At the beach. How creative is that?
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It was great. People loved it. People came with
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their classic t -shirts on and all their gear
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to really kind of experience, have the full experience.
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And the timing is perfect because I believe the
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movie just celebrated its 50th anniversary correct
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yeah so yeah it was exciting people were thrilled
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to be out there other events that take place
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for us my favorite event of all time is Easter
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egg hunts where else can the adults make a mess
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and the kids are gonna come clean it up so it's
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great every year we put the eggs out and you
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think this is gonna take so long for these kids
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to pick these eggs up and they vacuum clean that
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up so fast that is unbelievable so well speaking
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of vacuum up Easter eggs I'm gonna put you on
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the spot Favorite Easter egg candy I I still
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go to the Cadbury egg, I guess. Okay. Yeah All
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right in classic jelly beans. All right tough
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to beat the classic favorite color I'm gonna
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shock everybody. I actually like black. Oh my
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gosh. That is Shock everybody, which means I
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get plenty of jelly beans for sharing well from
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eggs and jelly beans and Easter egg hunt What
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are some of the other events going on in Parks
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and Rec? So we have Phone calls with Santa. We
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have a Martin Luther King breakfast and basketball
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tournament. That's really a unique event. Kite
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Day, Trunk or Treat that we have attached up
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with Halloween that we also do a movie in the
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park with as well. And additional youth programming
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is Kids Got Talent. And then we do family run
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with a color run as well. Now you mentioned Santa
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Calling. You and I grew up, of course you're
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the director of Parks and Recreation obviously,
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but both of us have strong Parks and Rec roots
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in our career. Listeners may not know Santa Calling...
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Santa actually call like what's going on here?
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What is Santa calling? We're fortunate We get
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Santa to come into the parks and recreation office
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for one night a year And we'll make phone calls
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to the local st. John's County boys and girls
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but parents sign up for and just kind of talk
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to them and see what they're looking for for
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Christmas and looking forward to and just make
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sure that they're You know being good boys and
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girls. Well that that is amazing. I want to shift
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gears from all the special events to special
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programming that you do, most notably for our
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military veterans in our community. You have
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something called adaptive programming. What is
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adaptive programming, and what are some of the
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programs that you provide to these unique groups?
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Yeah, kudos to our outdoor recreation team. A
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few years back, they had a real passion to be
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able to take this to the next level for disabled
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military veterans. They pursued with the Board
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of County Commission's direction to pursue a
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grant. They received a grant for $55 ,000 in
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federal funding for startup for adaptive programming
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to be able to buy the equipment that come out
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to enable them to provide kayaking, paddle boarding,
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and have the adaptive components to that to help
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disabled veterans. Additionally, we run fishing
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programs, we run art programs, so pickleball
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lessons, et cetera, for disabled veterans. It's
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a great opportunity for us to get out and connect
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with the veterans and kind of appreciate the
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efforts they've done, given to our country, and
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it's supported initially from our outdoor recreation
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program, always up to the top to the Board of
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County Commission. And you mentioned some of
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the adaptive equipment that comes with it. This
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is, for example, such things as on the on the
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kayaks, making sure that it can be pedal powered,
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for example, or things of that nature. Correct.
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Yes. So all sorts of adaptive equipment. So for
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any any type of disability, they find ways to
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be able to get people to come out and enjoy experience
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the actual recreation programming. And so that
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gear has helped them take it to that level. believe
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you may have mentioned it, archery. I believe
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there's adaptive archery. Correct. Yeah, and
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again, I will credit the team and Kelly, you
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see her from the team very much so far. There's
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an individual that is passionate about being
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able to provide those outlets and opportunities,
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and she'll do the legwork to find out. If you
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let her know what your disability is, she's going
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to find a way to get you involved in the recreation
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program. It's a perfect fit for our community
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because this is such a hub, a location for retirees
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and those who have served in our armed forces
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to provide this programming for them to stay
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engaged, stay involved in our community. community.
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Ryan, we've talked about special events, you
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know, we've talked about special programming.
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Let's talk about special opportunities, special
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opportunities for folks to get out into nature,
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get out of their home, get out of the office.
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You've got a phenomenal, just a plethora of outdoor
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activities, nature programs, both in our parks.
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and on our beaches. Yeah, I think one, a lot
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of our park facilities are lesser known and are
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great opportunities for individuals to get out
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and enjoy recreation on their own. So it doesn't
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have to be an organized recreation. It can be
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the type of thing that you throw the kayak in
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the car and on the way back from work, go in
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and hit one of our kayak launches and go out
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and enjoy either the intercoastal, one of the
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creeks or the river and be able to have those
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type of experiences or just walk along. nature
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paths and have those experiences or fishing.
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So things that you can come out and do on your
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own at your own time at any point in time. We
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also have organized programming that takes place
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for that. So we have family fishing We have women's
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fishing. We have You know youth fishing programs.
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We have all sorts of individual programs for
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that We have kayaking paddle boarding programs
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that take place all across the county. You can
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get those details at our webpage sjcfl .us forward
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slash parks recreation And see what we have for
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upcoming offerings and your nature programs are
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so vibrant and strong. It's in so unique specific
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to our community that some of the programs even
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involve, come with us, walk on the beach and
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let's do some dolphin watching or maybe we can
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find a shark tooth. Yeah, the knowledge of the
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nature outdoor nature program is amazing. So
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there are some shark tooth walks, dolphin walk
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watch and kind of just come along to the beaches
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whether it's Michael's, Villano and come out
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and see and get a good understanding of really
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how to take in the whole element of that. that
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facility and just not jumping into the ocean
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and enjoying the waves. Well, speaking of enjoying
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the waves, we've definitely enjoyed riding the
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wave of your information, Ryan, when it comes
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to all the special programs and events. Thank
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you, Ryan Cain, again, for being a guest on County
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Conversations and having a conversation with
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us about your wonderful department and team.
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Thank you. Thank you, Wayne. It's great to be
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here. You've been listening to County Conversations
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with Director of Public Affairs for St. John's
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County, Wayne Larson. If you'd like to keep the
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dialogue going, like, share, and leave a review
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on our social media. For news, events, and resources,
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make sure you visit our county website, sjcfl
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.us. That is sjcfl .us.
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Hi, I'm Wayne Larson, Director of Public Affairs
00:00:11.070 --> 00:00:13.869
for St. John's County. Welcome to this episode
00:00:13.869 --> 00:00:16.890
of our podcast program called County Conversations.
00:00:17.160 --> 00:00:19.859
a program to help build community trust within
00:00:19.859 --> 00:00:22.399
our community and keep the public informed about
00:00:22.399 --> 00:00:25.140
county programs and services. On this episode
00:00:25.140 --> 00:00:27.379
of County Conversations, we're having a conversation
00:00:27.379 --> 00:00:30.019
with Ryan Kane, our Director of Parks and Recreation.
00:00:30.120 --> 00:00:31.879
Welcome back to the show, Ryan. Thanks for having
00:00:31.879 --> 00:00:34.600
me. Wayne, appreciate it. On this episode, let's
00:00:34.600 --> 00:00:37.460
talk, Ryan, about the county's events and veterans
00:00:37.460 --> 00:00:40.659
programs. Your department, your team, Parks and
00:00:40.659 --> 00:00:43.340
Recreation, puts on just a wonderful array of
00:00:43.340 --> 00:00:45.719
special events. Talk a little bit about some
00:00:45.719 --> 00:00:48.380
of the events that you offer to the community,
00:00:48.420 --> 00:00:50.679
where those events are located, and maybe what
00:00:50.679 --> 00:00:52.700
time of the year they happen. Yeah, these are
00:00:52.700 --> 00:00:55.259
internal events operated by Parks and Recreation,
00:00:55.560 --> 00:00:58.240
free to the community. For most of the events,
00:00:58.399 --> 00:01:00.700
some of them do have registration. Some are very
00:01:00.700 --> 00:01:03.920
youth -specific events, like the Kids Just Try
00:01:03.920 --> 00:01:06.579
It Triathlon that we just recently had. We had
00:01:06.579 --> 00:01:08.959
180 athletes participate in that this year. That
00:01:08.959 --> 00:01:10.799
was over at the Solomon Calhoun pool. Now, you
00:01:10.799 --> 00:01:12.859
say triathlon. This is like what we see on TV.
00:01:12.900 --> 00:01:16.500
This is the kids rode a bike. They swam. They
00:01:16.500 --> 00:01:19.200
did a marathon like... this is like legit yeah
00:01:19.200 --> 00:01:22.799
not a marathon but they swam bike road and ran
00:01:22.799 --> 00:01:24.959
and the transitions is really the neat thing
00:01:24.959 --> 00:01:27.140
to watch with the kids so from coming out of
00:01:27.140 --> 00:01:29.859
the pool and getting onto the bike and then off
00:01:29.859 --> 00:01:32.280
of the bike onto to the running and just to see
00:01:32.280 --> 00:01:34.540
the children kind of go through that first experience
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is really neat exciting thing and and the parents
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are just as involved very excited to be there
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and it's just a good opportunity for them to
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get out That's amazing. I can't remember or recall
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knowing any city or county parks and recreation
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department that's putting on a triathlon. That's
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pretty unique. Yeah, well, for the youth level,
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100%. And as the title is, just try it, pun intended.
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And so they get to get out and have that experience
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and have it in a relaxed environment where they
00:02:05.439 --> 00:02:08.219
can take their time and... Make sure they accomplish
00:02:08.219 --> 00:02:10.719
all three and we'll get into community partnerships
00:02:10.719 --> 00:02:13.240
in another podcast episode But just briefly you
00:02:13.240 --> 00:02:15.240
couldn't have done it by yourself You had a strong
00:02:15.240 --> 00:02:17.379
partner with the Parks Foundation correct Parks
00:02:17.379 --> 00:02:19.919
Foundation was a major driver to helping us get
00:02:19.919 --> 00:02:22.419
that to be successful So very much appreciate
00:02:22.419 --> 00:02:25.360
that Parks Foundation is a separate entity from
00:02:25.360 --> 00:02:27.419
st. John's County But really partners with us
00:02:27.419 --> 00:02:30.259
to take Special programs that we have and take
00:02:30.259 --> 00:02:32.080
them to the next level for the community residents
00:02:32.080 --> 00:02:33.780
You've got some other special events that happen
00:02:33.780 --> 00:02:36.439
throughout the year things such as movies in
00:02:36.439 --> 00:02:38.139
the park and some other things, talk about those.
00:02:38.340 --> 00:02:39.900
Yeah, some of my favorite special events are
00:02:39.900 --> 00:02:41.479
those community gatherings where everybody comes
00:02:41.479 --> 00:02:43.699
out to the site. So movies in the park, we just
00:02:43.699 --> 00:02:46.900
had an immensely successful one. Showcase Jaws
00:02:46.900 --> 00:02:50.699
down at the St. Augustine Beach. You showed Jaws
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at the beach. At the beach. How creative is that?
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It was great. People loved it. People came with
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their classic t -shirts on and all their gear
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to really kind of experience, have the full experience.
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And the timing is perfect because I believe the
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movie just celebrated its 50th anniversary correct
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yeah so yeah it was exciting people were thrilled
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to be out there other events that take place
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for us my favorite event of all time is Easter
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egg hunts where else can the adults make a mess
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and the kids are gonna come clean it up so it's
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great every year we put the eggs out and you
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think this is gonna take so long for these kids
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to pick these eggs up and they vacuum clean that
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up so fast that is unbelievable so well speaking
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of vacuum up Easter eggs I'm gonna put you on
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the spot Favorite Easter egg candy I I still
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go to the Cadbury egg, I guess. Okay. Yeah All
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right in classic jelly beans. All right tough
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to beat the classic favorite color I'm gonna
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shock everybody. I actually like black. Oh my
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gosh. That is Shock everybody, which means I
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get plenty of jelly beans for sharing well from
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eggs and jelly beans and Easter egg hunt What
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are some of the other events going on in Parks
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and Rec? So we have Phone calls with Santa. We
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have a Martin Luther King breakfast and basketball
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tournament. That's really a unique event. Kite
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Day, Trunk or Treat that we have attached up
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with Halloween that we also do a movie in the
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park with as well. And additional youth programming
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is Kids Got Talent. And then we do family run
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with a color run as well. Now you mentioned Santa
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Calling. You and I grew up, of course you're
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the director of Parks and Recreation obviously,
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but both of us have strong Parks and Rec roots
00:04:32.230 --> 00:04:36.170
in our career. Listeners may not know Santa Calling...
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Santa actually call like what's going on here?
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What is Santa calling? We're fortunate We get
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Santa to come into the parks and recreation office
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for one night a year And we'll make phone calls
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to the local st. John's County boys and girls
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but parents sign up for and just kind of talk
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to them and see what they're looking for for
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Christmas and looking forward to and just make
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sure that they're You know being good boys and
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girls. Well that that is amazing. I want to shift
00:05:01.350 --> 00:05:04.740
gears from all the special events to special
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programming that you do, most notably for our
00:05:07.899 --> 00:05:09.740
military veterans in our community. You have
00:05:09.740 --> 00:05:12.939
something called adaptive programming. What is
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adaptive programming, and what are some of the
00:05:15.100 --> 00:05:18.300
programs that you provide to these unique groups?
00:05:18.540 --> 00:05:21.660
Yeah, kudos to our outdoor recreation team. A
00:05:21.660 --> 00:05:24.040
few years back, they had a real passion to be
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able to take this to the next level for disabled
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military veterans. They pursued with the Board
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of County Commission's direction to pursue a
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grant. They received a grant for $55 ,000 in
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federal funding for startup for adaptive programming
00:05:39.300 --> 00:05:42.079
to be able to buy the equipment that come out
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to enable them to provide kayaking, paddle boarding,
00:05:46.600 --> 00:05:50.199
and have the adaptive components to that to help
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disabled veterans. Additionally, we run fishing
00:05:53.519 --> 00:05:58.560
programs, we run art programs, so pickleball
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lessons, et cetera, for disabled veterans. It's
00:06:01.680 --> 00:06:05.000
a great opportunity for us to get out and connect
00:06:05.000 --> 00:06:07.300
with the veterans and kind of appreciate the
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efforts they've done, given to our country, and
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it's supported initially from our outdoor recreation
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program, always up to the top to the Board of
00:06:16.480 --> 00:06:18.480
County Commission. And you mentioned some of
00:06:18.480 --> 00:06:20.300
the adaptive equipment that comes with it. This
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is, for example, such things as on the on the
00:06:22.959 --> 00:06:26.920
kayaks, making sure that it can be pedal powered,
00:06:26.939 --> 00:06:29.220
for example, or things of that nature. Correct.
00:06:29.379 --> 00:06:32.639
Yes. So all sorts of adaptive equipment. So for
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any any type of disability, they find ways to
00:06:35.639 --> 00:06:38.819
be able to get people to come out and enjoy experience
00:06:38.819 --> 00:06:43.279
the actual recreation programming. And so that
00:06:43.279 --> 00:06:46.920
gear has helped them take it to that level. believe
00:06:46.920 --> 00:06:49.259
you may have mentioned it, archery. I believe
00:06:49.259 --> 00:06:52.420
there's adaptive archery. Correct. Yeah, and
00:06:52.420 --> 00:06:55.019
again, I will credit the team and Kelly, you
00:06:55.019 --> 00:06:58.500
see her from the team very much so far. There's
00:06:58.500 --> 00:07:00.259
an individual that is passionate about being
00:07:00.259 --> 00:07:01.879
able to provide those outlets and opportunities,
00:07:01.879 --> 00:07:04.199
and she'll do the legwork to find out. If you
00:07:04.199 --> 00:07:05.920
let her know what your disability is, she's going
00:07:05.920 --> 00:07:08.680
to find a way to get you involved in the recreation
00:07:08.680 --> 00:07:10.379
program. It's a perfect fit for our community
00:07:10.379 --> 00:07:14.660
because this is such a hub, a location for retirees
00:07:14.660 --> 00:07:17.019
and those who have served in our armed forces
00:07:17.019 --> 00:07:18.899
to provide this programming for them to stay
00:07:18.899 --> 00:07:20.899
engaged, stay involved in our community. community.
00:07:21.399 --> 00:07:23.259
Ryan, we've talked about special events, you
00:07:23.259 --> 00:07:24.560
know, we've talked about special programming.
00:07:24.959 --> 00:07:27.600
Let's talk about special opportunities, special
00:07:27.600 --> 00:07:30.040
opportunities for folks to get out into nature,
00:07:30.199 --> 00:07:31.779
get out of their home, get out of the office.
00:07:31.879 --> 00:07:35.819
You've got a phenomenal, just a plethora of outdoor
00:07:35.819 --> 00:07:38.500
activities, nature programs, both in our parks.
00:07:38.860 --> 00:07:41.759
and on our beaches. Yeah, I think one, a lot
00:07:41.759 --> 00:07:46.360
of our park facilities are lesser known and are
00:07:46.360 --> 00:07:48.220
great opportunities for individuals to get out
00:07:48.220 --> 00:07:50.939
and enjoy recreation on their own. So it doesn't
00:07:50.939 --> 00:07:52.920
have to be an organized recreation. It can be
00:07:52.920 --> 00:07:55.279
the type of thing that you throw the kayak in
00:07:55.279 --> 00:07:57.480
the car and on the way back from work, go in
00:07:57.480 --> 00:08:00.040
and hit one of our kayak launches and go out
00:08:00.040 --> 00:08:02.740
and enjoy either the intercoastal, one of the
00:08:02.740 --> 00:08:05.639
creeks or the river and be able to have those
00:08:05.639 --> 00:08:09.230
type of experiences or just walk along. nature
00:08:09.230 --> 00:08:12.589
paths and have those experiences or fishing.
00:08:13.389 --> 00:08:15.470
So things that you can come out and do on your
00:08:15.470 --> 00:08:18.759
own at your own time at any point in time. We
00:08:18.759 --> 00:08:20.740
also have organized programming that takes place
00:08:20.740 --> 00:08:23.879
for that. So we have family fishing We have women's
00:08:23.879 --> 00:08:26.579
fishing. We have You know youth fishing programs.
00:08:26.579 --> 00:08:28.800
We have all sorts of individual programs for
00:08:28.800 --> 00:08:31.079
that We have kayaking paddle boarding programs
00:08:31.079 --> 00:08:33.639
that take place all across the county. You can
00:08:33.639 --> 00:08:37.960
get those details at our webpage sjcfl .us forward
00:08:37.960 --> 00:08:41.460
slash parks recreation And see what we have for
00:08:41.460 --> 00:08:43.820
upcoming offerings and your nature programs are
00:08:43.820 --> 00:08:47.500
so vibrant and strong. It's in so unique specific
00:08:47.399 --> 00:08:50.820
to our community that some of the programs even
00:08:50.820 --> 00:08:52.879
involve, come with us, walk on the beach and
00:08:52.879 --> 00:08:55.799
let's do some dolphin watching or maybe we can
00:08:55.799 --> 00:08:58.799
find a shark tooth. Yeah, the knowledge of the
00:08:58.799 --> 00:09:01.059
nature outdoor nature program is amazing. So
00:09:01.059 --> 00:09:04.860
there are some shark tooth walks, dolphin walk
00:09:04.860 --> 00:09:07.779
watch and kind of just come along to the beaches
00:09:07.779 --> 00:09:11.139
whether it's Michael's, Villano and come out
00:09:11.139 --> 00:09:14.080
and see and get a good understanding of really
00:09:14.080 --> 00:09:17.100
how to take in the whole element of that. that
00:09:17.100 --> 00:09:19.580
facility and just not jumping into the ocean
00:09:19.580 --> 00:09:22.519
and enjoying the waves. Well, speaking of enjoying
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the waves, we've definitely enjoyed riding the
00:09:24.980 --> 00:09:26.919
wave of your information, Ryan, when it comes
00:09:26.919 --> 00:09:29.299
to all the special programs and events. Thank
00:09:29.299 --> 00:09:31.659
you, Ryan Cain, again, for being a guest on County
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Conversations and having a conversation with
00:09:33.580 --> 00:09:35.299
us about your wonderful department and team.
00:09:35.500 --> 00:09:37.019
Thank you. Thank you, Wayne. It's great to be
00:09:37.019 --> 00:09:40.279
here. You've been listening to County Conversations
00:09:40.279 --> 00:09:42.720
with Director of Public Affairs for St. John's
00:09:42.720 --> 00:09:45.370
County, Wayne Larson. If you'd like to keep the
00:09:45.370 --> 00:09:47.909
dialogue going, like, share, and leave a review
00:09:47.909 --> 00:09:51.330
on our social media. For news, events, and resources,
00:09:51.750 --> 00:09:55.309
make sure you visit our county website, sjcfl
00:09:55.309 --> 00:09:59.889
.us. That is sjcfl .us.
