[Vision2020] Family-Friendly Activities (was U of I Program Cuts)

Thu Jan 15 19:47:28 PST 2009

Janesta,

I never thought you were old enough to have grandchildren. Congratulations to you, they must love their grandmother, as they are lucky to have you. 

I have heard of some of those stories from the day at Robinson Lake. :P When I was in High School, if we went out there is was a given the cops would show. 

No, I don't have any children, lucky them. :). I don't think I will have any either for everybody's sake, LOL. There are too many children already, and I enjoy taking care of the people as they prepare to leave this world, which is enough for me.

Best Regards,

Donovan

--- On Thu, 1/15/09, Janesta <janesta at gmail.com> wrote:

From: Janesta <janesta at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Family-Friendly Activities (was U of I Program Cuts)
To: donovanjarnold2005 at yahoo.com
Cc: "Joseph Campbell" <josephc at wsu.edu>, "vision 2020" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Date: Thursday, January 15, 2009, 6:48 PM

My granddaughter is enrolled in a program summer/after school program through the school district called Adventure Club.http://www.sd281.k12.id.us/adventure/  An adventure it truly is! Last summer the kindergarten through 7th grade students did everything from going to Zeppos bowling, fishing/picnic at Spring Valley, swimming at the city pool,  Elk River Falls picnic and hike, the hatchery at Dworshak, and i must not forget Isabella's favorite place to visit... PCEI!!!!  etc., etc. 
The following link is an example of August 2008 schedule. http://www.sd281.k12.id.us/adventure/calendar/monthly.pdf

This fabulous program also offers tuition assistance, as well as winter & spring break coverage. 

Allow me to share a few things from my memories as a teenager 40 years ago- Mountain View Road was a gravel road back then. Spring Valley was in the boonies, with an unpaved curving road. Robinson Lake Park was really a lake, and a very popular party spot with jr. high, and high school students, as the sheriff seldom went out on the rarely traveled gravel road. Four corners on Moscow Mountain and Pond Nine were also popular with some of the students.Thank goodness, the once remote party spots no longer exist. The university, school district and City of Moscow have done a remarkable job of providing activities for youth of all ages. All one needs to do, is call one of those organizations to find out what is offered. 

Donovan, do you have children???

Janesta

On Thu, Jan 15, 2009 at 5:54 PM, Donovan Arnold <donovanjarnold2005 at yahoo.com> wrote:

Joe,

I already listed a bunch of things. There are many more I suppose, but I would settle for just a few. Reading a book seems to be the most entertaining thing to do Moscow. 

Best Regards,

Donovan

--- On Thu, 1/15/09, Joseph Campbell <josephc at wsu.edu> wrote:

From: Joseph Campbell <josephc at wsu.edu> 

Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Family-Friendly Activities (was U of I Program Cuts)
To: "donovanjarnold2005 at yahoo.com" <donovanjarnold2005 at yahoo.com>
Cc: "vision 2020" <vision2020 at moscow.com>, "Jennifer Ingalls" <jennifer at inlandradio.com>
Date: Thursday, January 15, 2009, 3:43 PM 

What do you want to do that you can't do here? 

Give some examples. 

Joe

Sent from my iPhone

On Jan 15, 2009, at 3:10 PM, Donovan Arnold <donovanjarnold2005 at yahoo.com> wrote:

Jennifer,

That is what my Grandmother use to say too! 

My Grandfather use to say, "Simple minds are easily entertained."

So I think we can swing it either way. 

Best Regards,

Donovan

--- On Thu, 1/15/09, Jennifer Ingalls <jennifer at inlandradio.com> wrote:

From: Jennifer Ingalls <jennifer at inlandradio.com>
Subject: RE: [Vision2020] Family-Friendly Activities (was U of I Program Cuts)
To: donovanjarnold2005 at yahoo.com, "'vision 2020'" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Date: Thursday, January 15, 2009, 10:53 AM

I'll reiterate what my parents said when I complained: "Only boring people can be bored."

Jennifer L. Ingalls 

From: Donovan Arnold [mailto:donovanjarnold2005 at yahoo.com] 
Sent: Thursday, January 15, 2009 10:30 AM
To: 'vision 2020'; Jennifer Ingalls
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Family-Friendly Activities (was U of I Program Cuts) 

Jennifer,

I liked doing all those things too as a child in Moscow . But lets face it, there is only so some many times you can visit the McConnell Mansion before it no longer entertaining to a child. And camping doesn't count because you have to leave  Moscow to go do it.  

If you are an outdoors type of person, there are lots of things to do in North Idaho . But for many people that are not, it leaves something to be desired. 

One of the biggest complaints I heard from students was that there was nothing to do in Moscow , and why so many people supported the Student Recreation Building , which is more like a glorified and over priced Idaho Athletic Club with a climbing wall then a recreation center for different kinds of recreational activities. 

I do not think I have found a mother at UI that thought Moscow 's daycare was inexpensive. There is a huge waiting list too. 

What few things there are to do in Moscow , also cost a lot of money, which is hard to afford when you have no money, because there are no jobs that pay above what you need to scrape by. 

There is less to do in Moscow now then was when my Mother was child in Moscow . 

We have no bowling alley. We have no roller skating ring. We have no IMax Theater. We have fewer quality restaurants. We have no high tech gaming center. We have no science discovery park, we have no big museums. No race cars. No theme parks, no big fancy hangouts, we don't even really have a year round swimming pool,  

The best thing Moscow has for entertainment is the Library. Which is a great library, but hardly the place that comes to mind when we want to think about entertainment. 

Yes, you can always THINK of something to do in Moscow , but that is the problem, you really have to THINK, to find something to do. Its Midnight in Moscow , besides the bars and the Jack N the Crack drive-thru, what is open?

Best Regards,

Donovan

--- On Wed, 1/14/09, Jennifer Ingalls <jennifer at inlandradio.com> wrote:

From: Jennifer Ingalls <jennifer at inlandradio.com>
Subject: [Vision2020] Family-Friendly Activities (was U of I Program Cuts)
To: "'vision 2020'" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Date: Wednesday, January 14, 2009, 1:27 PM 

I don't necessarily want to get into the argument about diversity in Moscow or at UI, but I do take some issue with Donovan's statement, "Not to mention the lack of affordable child care, or family fun activities."

I grew up in Moscow and though my family had more money than families where a student is the primary financier of the household, we were not at a loss for family-friendly free activities (unless we were willfully bored). This is not to say that we can't do better as a community at providing free and/or inexpensive activities, but I think many of us forget those things that are available to us. For example, I –regretfully—cannot remember the last time I went to the McConnell Mansion or picked up a walking tour guide of the towns history and hoofed it through Fort Russell (two activities that occupied Spring and Summer days of my youth). The library (which I remember as only being the old part of the building) was cool in the Summer and warm in the Winter. Organizations like Campfire, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and local churches provided the three of us a lot of fun and educational activities (both our family's church of choice and the churches or
 religious organizations of friends). My mom used to take us to Good Sam to distribute our wares after craft days at the house. We'd ride bikes out to Robinson Lake Park , "fish" in Hordeman's pond, or take advantage of all the demonstrations, concerts and educational lectures the University offered. There were a lot of things to do!

I'll grant that I was a nerdy kid (still am). I, too, would love to see more activities available after school that would appeal to "at risk" youth (I AM doing something about that with my involvement in Latah County Youth Advocacy Council), but I don't think can jump on board with the whole "there's nothing to do here" claim.   

Jennifer L. Ingalls
 ======================================================= List services made available by First Step Internet,  serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.                  http://www.fsr.net                                 mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com=======================================================

=======================================================
List services made available by First Step Internet, 
serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.   
              http://www.fsr.net                       
         mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
=======================================================

=======================================================
 List services made available by First Step Internet,
 serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
              http://www.fsr.net
         mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
=======================================================

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