Santa Clara County Parks & Recreation Digest

Two theme park giants, Six Flags and Cedar Fair, announced they are merging. It could have potential impacts on California theme parks like Six Flags Magic Mountain, Knott’s Berry Farm and Six Flags Discovery Kingdom.

Camille Dixon, the announcer for Disney California Adventure, and her husband, Bill Rogers, the voice of Disneyland, are moving on from this work. They have been at the parks for more than 40 years combined.

Residents who live in a historically underserved, low-income community fought to add more green spaces in their neighborhood at the Sunnyvale City Council meeting.

Through this new program, artists, culture bearers, and California Native American tribes will be eligible to receive funding to create artwork throughout state and local parks.

A new location for a Magical Bridge Playground, a playground accessible to people of all abilities and ages, opened at El Carmelo Elementary School.

Milpitas’ Pickleball Pilot Program has been using half of the tennis courts at Hall Park, and a large community of Hall Park tennis players are now fighting to save their tennis courts from being permanently converted.

Eager for a breakthrough after a decade of scuttled plans and shattered dreams, the Palo Alto City Council endorsed a proposal to expand the city's control of Cubberley Community Center through a long-term ground lease.

The famed Barron Park donkeys got a new member, April, who has joined the company of residents Perry and Buddy.

Inspired by community concerns about the lack of safe passage for animals crossing Highway 17, Los Altos-based Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District has launched a multi-year project to build a wildlife undercrossing and a recreational trail overcrossing.

Dog owners in south Palo Alto have plenty of reasons to get excited as they watch the city add new fenced play areas for their furry companions. But things are different in the north, where supply hasn't kept up with demand.

Mountain View is looking to expand its park system with an ambitious plan that will bring more parks, trails and open spaces to the city, laying the groundwork to create what's called the Parks and Recreation Strategic Plan.

Twenty years after East San Jose residents began advocating for more open spaces in their community, city leaders have completed a key step in expanding the neighborhood’s celebrated Five Wounds Trail.

Palo Alto city leaders gathered on a dusty field to celebrate the city's first expansion of a park in at least two decades.

The Biden administration is one step away from designating the first national marine sanctuary nominated by a tribe. Tribal members of the Chumash, who have lobbied for the creation of this Central Coast preserve for more than a decade, would be involved in managing it.

With Foothills Nature Preserve seeing a surge of visitors, Palo Alto is preparing to install new pathways, parking areas and traffic-calming measures.

Castle Rock State Park expanded on Aug. 15 when the Sempervirens Fund sold six properties to the state of California for $4.21 million. Nestled on the border of Santa Cruz, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, Castle Rock now covers more than 5,400 acres.

Rengstorff Park is set to be home to a Magical Bridge playground, which is designed to be accessible for people of all ages, including those with physical and cognitive disabilities.

Three decades of commitment to preserving nature and connecting communities will be celebrated by the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority in 2023. The celebration will include the fall opening of Coyote Ridge Open Space Preserve.

After a controversial decision to block the reappointment of a parks and recreation commissioner, the Santa Clara City Council has decided on his replacement.

The state budget allocated $1.5 million to improving Lake Cunningham, which for years has suffered under the weight of faulty infrastructure and poor water quality.

The number of visitors to Palo Alto’s Foothills Nature Preserve in 2022 dropped 24% compared to 2021, but rangers note that unexpected problems are cropping up having to do with the lack of cell phone coverage.

California lawmakers passed the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act, permanently protecting the iconic and imperiled species.

One of San Jose's oldest parks wants to remake history again after more than 150 years. St. James Park, located on nearly seven acres in the downtown core, is getting a complete makeover.

A stunning property once owned by rock singer Chris Isaak moved a big step closer to becoming a new public park—the first of its kind in more than 50 years—when the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 to approve an $11.6 million construction contract to build amenities at Tunitas Creek Beach.

Friends of Levitt Pavilion San Jose hosted its first springtime concert in St. James Park, the latest step in establishing a permanent outdoor performance venue. The shows will take place despite an appeal in a lawsuit to stop the revamp of the park.

Plans to revamp the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds into a sports and recreation facility have been progressing for more than a year, but it's unclear when shovels will hit the ground.

The Palo Alto City Council added new members to the Human Relations Commission while favoring existing members for the Parks and Recreation Commission.

Moving forward, young teens and children who take a trip to California’s Great America will need to do so with a chaperone. Now, any guests 15 years old or younger must have a chaperone who is at least 21 years old.

A proposed downtown San Jose landmark may have a new home after years of deliberation. The promoters of the "The Breeze of Innovation"—a design that would use hundreds of swaying rods powered by wind to light up at night atop a viewing platform and cafe—want to built its landmark at Plaza de Cesar Chavez. The San Jose City Council unanimously agreed to study whether the proposed location works and to create a master plan to improve the park.

The Los Altos Teen Center, housed inside of the Community Center, was recently renovated. Anyone in grades 6-12 may attend for free, and operating hours are 3:30-6:30 p.m. on weekdays.

Growing up, Helen Chapman was surrounded by acres of nature. She pursues her passion for preserving open space as the chair of the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority. And Coyote Valley is her crown jewel.

The boom in electric-powered bicycling is reducing car travel, lowering carbon emissions and introducing homebodies to the great outdoors. But the activity is on a collision course with an equally cherished environmental ideal: peace and quiet.