It seems that at some point, nearly every child in town attends the summer playground group provided by Hopkinton Parks & Recreation, and many of them return every year for at least part of the season. Little Hillers, held at Hopkins School, is for children ages 5-7, while Junior Hillers, based at Elmwood School, is for ages 8-12. The programs start June 24 and end Aug. 9, with a break the first week in July.

Per the department’s director, Jon Lewitus, this summer will see revamped playground groups.

“Based on feedback from last year, we’ve added staff and new activities,” he said. “There will be weekly field trips and entertainers coming in. Little Hillers will go to places like the Hopkinton Center for the Arts, and performances like Animal Adventures will come to the school. For Junior Hillers, trips to places like Water Wizz and Sandy Beach are included in the program.”

These are in addition to the staples of games, sports, arts and crafts and playground time, as well as indoor movies and music during inclement weather.

The playground group has been around for three decades.

“We wanted to make it a little more like a summer camp experience by adding structure, though there are still free choice times,” Lewitus said.

The playground groups are conveniently based right in town, with no need to travel to gain a camp-like experience.

Enrollment is by the week, Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with an extended day option to 5:30 p.m. Financial assistance is available. The camps typically fill up quickly, so signing up soon is advised.

Parks & Recreation also has partial-day, shorter-term youth summer programs, ranging from electronics to computing to veterinarian care. And there are the popular youth and adult gender-based sports clinics, lessons and leagues throughout the season, ranging from basketball to tennis to archery.

Returning favorites for all ages include passes for swimming at Sandy Beach, four movie nights on the Common, and six concerts on the Town Common held on Sundays at 5 p.m.

New this summer are the just-completed pickleball courts at the Fruit Street facility.

“We expect they’ll be ready for people to play on starting June 1,” said Lewitus. “In the fall, we’ll add some organized pickleball programs.”

For more information or to register for a program, visit hopkintonma.myrec.com, or call 508-497-9750.

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