Celebrate National Park and Recreation Month by Going on an Adventure with Lou!

1. Download the Adventure Passport and go on a scavenger hunt.
2. Print Lou and take him on your own adventure.
3. Follow Lou on social media as he goes to work with parks, recreation, and open space staff.

Adventures with Lou

Once upon a time, in the City of Louisville, the month of July arrived, bringing with it a special occasion: National Park and Recreation Month. This year, the theme was “Where Communities Grow,” and Mayor Maloney, the Mayor of Louisville, was trying to think of a new way to encourage residents to explore the city's beautiful parks, open spaces, and recreational areas. As he was thinking about this, a young resident, Lou, rode up on a scooter.

“Hi Mayor Maloney. Watcha doin’?” asked Lou.

“Hey, Lou,” the Mayor waved. I am just trying to think of a way to celebrate Park and Recreation Month this year.”

“Park and Recreation Month?” Lou peered up at the Mayor. “What’s that?” 

The Mayor sat down on nearby bench. “It’s a month when we get to celebrate one of our city’s biggest assets! The great parks, trails, and open spaces are some of the things that make Louisville a wonderful place to live.”

“It is very pretty here!” Lou smiled in agreement.

“And what would our city be like without great places to gather, play, and exercise like the Coal Creek Trail, the Louisville Recreation & Senior Center, and Coal Creek Golf Course? Parks and Recreation is so important to our City and there is just so much to do and so many great professionals who work to provide these services that I don’t know how to tell people about it.”

Lou, a curious child with a thirst for adventure, thought for a minute and said, “I can help! I love going on adventures around Louisville. I can share all the fun things I do and people can follow me. I can go fishing, and golfing, and bike riding, and to the pool, and….” Lou began daydreaming of all the fun things to do, eyes widening with excitement.

“That is a great idea! We will call it “Adventure with Lou,” and you can be the star.”

“Yes! People can go on a scavenger hunt around the City to find me. Oh, and we can make a picture of me that they can print out so they can take me on their adventures too. Sort of like the book I read in school called Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown."

Lou and the Mayor quickly got to work to set “Adventures with Lou” in motion.

As the sun began to set, Lou raced home to pack a backpack filled with snacks, a notebook, and a map of Louisville. After making a list of places to go and things to do, Lou climbed into bed, pulled up the covers, and eagerly awaited the first chapter of this fun journey.

We invite you to join Lou on this adventure!

HOW YOU CAN PARTICIPATE:

FIND LOU! Lou is exploring eight different Parks, Recreation, and Open Space locations around the City. Download an Adventure Passport below to find out where Lou is and then visit each site.  After visiting all eight sites, return the passport to the Louisville Recreation & Senior Center to be entered into a drawing to win a prize.

TAKE LOU ON AN ADVENTURE!  Lou wants to explore with YOU! Download a printable Lou template below. Then print, color, cut out, and take Lou with you on an adventure to your favorite Louisville park, open space, golf course, pool, Recreation & Senior Center, or another recreational amenity. Snap a photo and write a few sentences about your adventure. Post your photo on social media with a short description of your adventure and tag @FansOfLouisvilleOpenSpace and @louisvillerecreationseniorcenter and use hashtags #parkandrecmonth23 and #adventureswithlou. Or email KCorcelli@LouisvilleCO.gov.

FOLLOW LOU ON THE JOB! Lou will be traveling around the City and helping our parks and recreation professionals complete their jobs. Follow Lou on social media @FansOfLouisvilleOpenSpace and @louisvillerecreationseniorcenter to learn about all the cool jobs that happen every day to keep our City recreational amenities safe and beautiful.