Did you know that San Clemente is home to 20 community parks offering everything from shady trees for lazy lounging and family picnics to sporting amenities for tennis, basketball, baseball, volleyball, skateboarding and more? No matter your energy level, it is likely San Clemente has a park that you can call your own.

You can learn more about your community parks through a series of upcoming articles on the San Clemente Times’ website. Beginning in early May, you will be able to read about a different park each week. Sponsored by the San Clemente Beaches, Parks and Recreation Commission, the articles will highlight many of the city’s parks and spotlight the amenities they offer for fun and frolic and other leisure and athletic activities.

San Clemente Beaches, Parks, and Recreation Director Sharon Heider and Beaches, Parks and Recreation Commissioner Eric Swartz are spearheading the editorial series, which City Councilman Bob Baker proposed earlier this year. Long-time San Clemente residents, Andrea Workman and Aleta Walther have volunteered to write the articles.

Born in Orange County and raised in San Clemente, Workman has enjoyed watching the ongoing additions of parks and other recreational areas to the city’s already fantastic beaches. As a San Clemente native, Workman can be found with her husband Eric Ortiz and their incredibly lazy dog Toonie going for walks, exploring our trails and beaches, as well as enjoying the dog park.

Andrea Workman has 16 years of experience in the vocational rehabilitation field and works for San Clemente-based consulting firm Workman Molina. She recently published How To Find A Job: A Step-By-Step Guide for job seekers, www.howtofindajobbook.com. She holds a bachelors degree in psychology from California State University, Fullerton.

An 18-year resident, Aleta Walther is an outdoor enthusiast. She regularly walks, hikes and bikes around town and enjoys reading a good book at the beach or Park Verde. She and her husband, John Stewart, are members of the San Clemente Community Emergency Response Team.

With a degree in journalism, Aleta Walther’s byline has appeared in two dozen newspapers and magazines. Her writing has garnered accolades from the Associated Press, National Federation of Press Women and the California Press Women. In 2003, she was named grand prizewinner from over 40,000 entries in the $10,000 Weber Kraft Essay Competition. As much as she loves writing, Walther enjoys being outdoors more. She is currently attending Orange County’s Park Ranger Academy where she is learning wilderness training and survival techniques, interpretative skills, wildlife handling, ecology, geology, criminal justice and more.

What’s Your Favorite Park?

You Could Win an Annual Pass to Disneyland

Kids: Don’t forget to enter the San Clemente Beaches, Parks and Recreation essay contest. If you are between the ages of 4 and 17, write about which San Clemente Park is your favorite. Email your essay to recreation@san-clemente.org or mail it to Rita DeForrest, Beaches, Parks and Recreation Department, 910 Calle Negocio, San Clemente, CA 92673. Residents and business owners have made private donations to offer loads of prizes, including three grand-prize winners receiving an annual pass to Disneyland. We may even use some of your quotes in upcoming newspaper articles. Deadline for entries is June 1, 2011. For more information on the essay contest call 949. 361.8237.