From the Director

Hello Shaker,

Can I just tell you how much I love the fall? The colors are simply magnificent and I truly enjoy the daily changes. The extra warm and sunny days are nice reminders of the past and future seasons but I could live without the ever shorter daylight hours. Nevertheless, I could not imagine living in a climate without all four seasons.

Enough about my fondness for fall. This month also signals the return of our popular Friday Night Skates. For those of you who are not familiar with our Friday Night Skates, these are Friday evening public skating sessions featuring a live DJ that are largely attended by Woodbury aged youth. It is nearly a rite of passage in Shaker and most people who grew up here fondly remember Friday Night Skates.

Please keep reading to learn more about some of our upcoming program offerings and other activities. We look forward to seeing members of the community in our programs, facilities, and parks throughout the fall.

Be active. Stay healthy. Have fun.

Alex Nichols
Director

Recreation Programming

Discovery Station

We are excited to be offering a new preschool enrichment program for children ages 4-5 that will be entering Kindergarten in Fall 2023. Each week, participants in our Discovery Station program will enjoy circle time along with a story. They will also participate in arts and crafts, learning through play, and enjoy a variety of different stations with activities based off of the story that was featured during circle time. The different stations will include science, engineering, math, gross motor, and critical thinking. Registration is open now for the fall session, which will meet at the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Community Building on Saturdays from October 22 through December 3 from 10 am - 12 pm. If you have questions about this program, please contact Rhonda Miller by email or by phone at (216) 491-2583.

Youth Dance Classes

Shaker Heights Recreation is proud to offer a variety of youth dance classes in partnership with Dance to EvOLvE Cleveland. Join us for Tiny Movers, a combination tap/ballet class for ages 3-4, or for Star Shiners, a combination tap/ballet class for ages 4.5-6. Both of these classes will be offered on Tuesday evenings in the Thornton Park Community Room or on Saturday mornings at the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Community Building. We will also be offering Beat Breakers, a hip hop dance class for ages 4-7 on Tuesday evenings in the Thornton Park Community Room. For our littlest dancers, we will be offering Magical Munchkins, a combination tap/ballet class for ages 2-3 at the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Community Building on Saturday mornings. The fall session will run from October 25th through December 17th. If you have questions, please contact Rhonda Miller by email or by phone at (216) 491-2583.

Senior Adult Programming

Open Bridge and King and Queens Game Day

Senior adults are invited to join us at the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Community Building on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1 - 3:30 pm for a variety of fun activities and games. Open bridge games are ongoing, and a variety of other card and board games including spades, bid whist, rummy, chess, checkers, and trivia are offered as well. There is no cost to participate, and participants are sure to enjoy a few hours of friendly competition and socialization with other senior adults.

If you have questions about any of our senior adults programs, please contact Andrea M. Jewett by email or by phone at (216) 491-1360.

Ice Skating at Thornton Park

When it comes to fun fall activities for the whole family, look no further than the Thornton Park Ice Arena, which offers a variety of public skating sessions each week, including Tuesday evenings and Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Public skating sessions are open to residents and non-residents of all ages and experience levels and rental skates are available. View and download the Fall 2022 Ice Arena schedule here.

Also returning this fall are our popular Friday Night DJ Skates. The season kicks off with the Halloween Skate on Friday, October 28 from 7:45 - 9:45 pm. Friday Night Skates continue on November 4, 11, and 18, and December 16 from 7:45 - 9 pm.

Connect with Us

Follow Shaker Recreation on Social Media

Shaker Heights Recreation Department is on Facebook and Instagram. Like and follow our page and stay up-to-date on programs, classes, and events.

To view a map of all the parks and playgrounds in Shaker Heights, click here.