WINCHESTER, VA (05/13/2014)(readMedia)-- The Winchester Parks and Recreation Department is calling for volunteers to help sculpt Jim Barnett Park into a paradise for the 2014 Cal Ripken World Series. This August 9th-16th, 2014, the City of Winchester will host the 10-Year-Old Cal Ripken Babe Ruth World Series. This event will bring visitors from across the country to Winchester. The Winchester Parks and Recreation Department (WPRD) wants to display the best of Winchester with a focus on transforming Jim Barnett Park into a showplace for this event. With tight budgets and limited staff , WPRD needs all hands on deck to create the masterpiece imagined of Jim Barnett Park. If citizenry have interest, time to spare, are physically able to perform typical light park maintenance duties like trash pick-up, watering, lining ball fields, etc. they are asked to attend the Park Ambassador Organizational Meeting on Friday, May 16 @ 10am in the Social Hall at the War Memorial Building.
It is also important to note that park maintenance needs extend beyond typical maintenance work to include specialized skills such as engineering, masonry, landscaping, woodworking, etc. Winchester Parks and Recreation Department has a loose plan that will be unveiled at the Organizational Meeting. As a Park Ambassador, volunteers would be providing selfless unpaid work that would at times be thankless. Youth, 20-20 vision, the ability to run a 5K race, and high performance are NOT prerequisites to be a Park Ambassador. Simply, a desire to make Winchester's Jim Barnett Park super awesome for the World Series is all that is necessary. In order to free up regular full-time maintenance staff to handle specialized tasks and projects, volunteers will be asked to help maintain neighborhood parks and preserves as well. This is an opportunity for fellow Winchestrians to be of service to their community. Persons interested in becoming a Park Ambassador and are unable to attend the meeting should contact Jennifer Jones by email @ Jennifer.Jones@winchesterva.gov.