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Outdoor Recreation more than just a rental shop

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Dennis L. Sloan
  • Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Public Affairs
JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. --  With summer ending and school in full swing, winter vacations are the next thing to plan. Why not plan a ski trip at the base outdoor recreation department?

The Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Outdoor Recreation Department not only rents canoes, fire pits, camping gear and sports equipment, they also help plan family or group trips.

"I love to help servicemembers plan a family trip or even just provide them with a football for the weekend," said Riley Parker, 87th Force Support Squadron Outdoor Recreation equipment resource manager. "It's about making it easier for servicemembers and their families to enjoy leave or just some afternoon fun."

A newly added feature to the Outdoor Recreation Department is the Information, Tickets and Tours Department. Discounted trips and tickets to theme parks such as Disney World, Six Flags and more are available at ITT.

They also help plan trips such as skydiving, canoeing and kayaking along with white water rafting. Yearly trips are planned through outdoor recreation and slots are still available for skiing packages and hiking trips to local wolf preservations.

The Outdoor Recreation team is always open to new adventure ideas, but asks that with every new idea a group of at least five people be available so the trip can be feasible.

"I want to make a servicemember's vacation as inexpensive and convenient as possible," said Dave Bertagnoli, 87th FSS Outdoor Recreation Department director. "We provide storage for all servicemembers' vehicles while on vacation or just need some extra space to store the car for the week."

Range 14 is a shooting range open to the base community and surrounding community as well. The range allows shooting practice during the week and weekends. Paintball and air soft tournaments take place every weekend; a military discount is available.

Outdoor recreation department can provide gas, electric or even charcoal grills for families looking to have a nice barbecue at the park. All sorts of back yard games are available for rent such as horse shoes, lawn golf and washers. The Outdoor Recreation Department also provides nine different pavilions, which can be reserved for unit picnics or even base-wide celebrations.

The Outdoor Recreation Department has great deals on soft-ball and baseball equipment as well as basketballs, volleyballs and tennis equipment for kids participating in base sport leagues, said Bertagnoli. Many yearly base events such as the annual 4th of July Celebration feature inflatable tents, go-carts and batting cages set-up and maintained by the Outdoor Recreation Department.

So if planning a family picnic or just a weekend get-away, the Outdoor Recreation Department has all the equipment needed and more. No safety classes are required before renting equipment.

All equipment and rental prices can be found at the Outdoor Recreation Department, located at 6045 Doughboy Loop. Fall hours of operation, beginning Oct. 1, are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call 562-6667 for more information on upcoming events or rental equipment; for information on ITT ask for Kristen McDowel. Call 562-4676 to schedule a paintball appointment or even just an afternoon of shooting at Range 14.