Area parks offer something for everyone by Jason Myers, Outpost staff In this package Ice rink brings teens, adults to Idlewild Park Truckee Meadows Park Directory On the Web Washoe County Parks It's Sunday afternoon and you're looking for something to do. You could watch TV, talk on the phone with friends, go to the mall or, God forbid, even do homework. But there's something much better out there to do, something that can be enjoyed every day of the year and won't cost a dime if you don't want it to. "What is it?" you ask. The answer is simple: Visit your neighborhood park. In a by-gone era the neighborhood park was a mecca of Sunday afternoon entertainment for young and old alike. However, even in today's hustle-and-bustle society, our city parks make a wonderful Sunday outing, or any day of the week for that matter. The Truckee Meadows area has more than 60 parks, or about one per 4,000 residents. Some parks are large and popular, such as Rancho San Rafael or Idlewild. Others are tiny, like the diminutive Wingfield Park in downtown, or Shelley Park, nestled at the corner of Baring and McCarran Boulevards in Sparks. A unique playground toy at Pah Rah Park in Sparks. Photo by Jason Myers. But no matter the size of the park, each one has its own allure to the neighborhood residents as well as the whole community. From the Rink by the River in Idlewild Park to the Wilbur D. May Museum and Arboretum in Rancho San Rafael Park to the softball fields of Don Mello and Shadow Mountain Parks, there is something for everyone in the Truckee Meadows. In this package you will find information about the parks in the greater Reno/Sparks area. Each park is unique, offering different venues for activities from barbecues to sports to quiet afternoons with nature. Our sincere hope is that this resource is useful in helping you plan your weekends and that you the reader can help make the neighborhood park a Sunday afternoon mecca of entertainment once again.   Posted Dec. 1, 1998 Copyright 1998 Nevada Outpost TOP | NEXT Nevada Outpost is produced by students at the Reynolds School of Journalism, University of Nevada, Reno Copyright 1999 Nevada Outpost http://www.jour.unr.edu/outpost