Marcie Post has been serving the City of Midland since 2008 as the Recreation Manager for the Parks and Recreation Department. She manages the Parks and Recreation Office, departmental programming and associated recreation facilities. Post has served in a variety of professional positions both locally as the President of the Midland Amateur Sports Capital Committee since 2015, as a Board Member for the Central Michigan University Department of Recreation Parks and Leisure Services Board and on the state level with mParks, the Michigan Recreation and Parks Association.
We sat down with Marcie to discuss the upcoming recreation events that the City of Midland has to offer and what she is most excited about.
Q: Thank you for joining us Marcie! Can you please tell us more about what your job entails?
A: Absolutely. There are a few different things, but mainly I manage the Parks and Recreation Office which includes three full-time employees. I also run and oversee the programs and special events offered by the department, which includes our facilities that include local favorites like Midland’s Plymouth Pool and City Forest.
Q: What kind of challenges do you face in this role?
A: For me personally, the challenge is that we do not have a true indoor facility. However, we always make do with what we have! The Chalet at City Forest has been our go-to for small indoor events but all of my programming really needs to be based in the outdoors, which Mother Nature doesn’t always agree with. Also, along with a lot of other seasonal agencies, we are really struggling with hiring staff. We have so many seasonal positions available that we are starting to fill right now! More information on those positions can be found at: https://cityofmidlandmi.gov/1705/Employment
Q: So many residents have been raised at both Plymouth Pool and City Forest! With all of the programming that the Parks and Recreation department offers, what are some of your favorites?
A: My favorites programs are Santa Calling, which is a great way to make the day of every child reached, and also Tunes by the Tridge. Pooches at the Pool is also a favorite event, because I get to interact with not only the dog owners, but the dogs themselves!
Q: Santa Calling sounds exciting, can you explain more about what that is?
A: Santa Calling is a program in which I enlist community volunteers to meet at the Parks and Recreation Office, and they call children on their parent’s phone lines and pretend to be Santa or Mrs. Claus. I give the Santa’s some talking points (we all forget the Reindeer’s names at some point!), and we have snacks for volunteers. Then I hand each Santa and even some elves a huge list of good little boys and girls that need to be called for that night. This year we have a whopping FOUR HUNDRED kids to call! It is really a great program supported by a really great group of volunteers.
Q: That sounds like you may need some more volunteers to be a Santa!
A: We can ALWAYS use more Santas. This year brings us the largest calling number we’ve ever had and the more volunteer Santas to help bear that load, the better. Folks interested in volunteering can call me directly at 989-837-6930.
Q: What upcoming events would you like folks to know about?
A: Our next big event is something new that I am planning called the Midland MidWinter Chill at City Forest. Think cardboard sled racing, s’mores and a sing-a-long by the fire. It’s scheduled for Saturday, January 26th. Look for more information soon, it’s going to be a blast!
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