VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – The American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration (AAPRA), in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), is pleased to announce Valley City Parks and Recreation as a finalist for the 2020 National Gold Medal Awards for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management. Musco Lighting, LLC is proud to continue sponsoring the Gold Medal Awards program as it has for more than 20 years.

Founded in 1965, the Gold Medal Awards program honors communities in the United States that demonstrate excellence in parks and recreation through long-range planning, resource management, volunteerism, environmental stewardship, program development, professional development and agency recognition. Applications are separated into six classes, with five classes based on population and one class for armed forces.

Valley City Parks and Recreation is a finalist in the Class V with a population less than 30,000 category. Valley City Parks and Recreation is a first-time finalist and has the smallest population compared with the four finalists.

Agencies are judged on their ability to address the needs of those they serve through the collective energies of community members, staff members and elected officials. Valley City Parks and Recreation joins three other finalists in their class that will compete for grand honors this year.

“I am very proud of the hard work that our team has put forth to get us to this point. I feel like we provide fun, safe and affordable activities for everyone inside and outside of our community. Looking at the other outstanding nominees, it is a privilege to be included in this group.” Director, Tyler Jacobson.

A panel of five park and recreation professionals will review and judge all application materials. Judges are chosen for their considerable experience and knowledge in parks and recreation on both the local and national levels.

This year’s finalists will compete for Grand Plaque Award honors this summer, and the six Grand Plaque recipients will be announced during the 2020 NRPA Conference, which will be held virtually in October. The presentation of both the Finalist and Grand Plaque recipients is being finalized and details will be forthcoming on the virtual conference website.

For more information on the Gold Medal Awards, visit www.nrpa.org/goldmedal or www.aapra.org.