This-N-That
© Can Stock Photo / tobkatrina
The Best States For Camping, Ranked
Few things are more relaxing than a night under the stars while camping. Which states offer the best spots for a rustic retreat? Lawn Love ranked 2023’s Best States for Camping in America by comparing 25 metrics, such as campsite access, acreage, and trails. Safety, supplies, camper satisfaction, and affordability also were considered.
Here are the best states:
California
Washington
Texas
Florida
New York
For full ranking and analysis, visit https://lawnlove.com/blog/best-states-camping/
ASBA Publishes Track Construction Manual
Forest Hill, Md.—The American Sports Builders Association (ASBA), the national organization for builders, designers, and suppliers of materials for athletic facilities, published the 11th edition of Running Tracks: A Construction and Maintenance Manual.
The newest edition provides useful guidance to those who want to install a track, explaining the options for surfacing and construction currently available in the marketplace. A streamlined layout with detailed section synopses allows readers to more easily find and reference specific guidance or information. In addition, the book contains updated references and links to ASBA’s position papers. More images and diagrams have been included throughout the book, and the chapter on surface installation has been updated to better reflect the methods track installers are using.
For more information, visit www.sportsbuilders.org.
Field Notes
Hospeco Brands Group, a manufacturer of cleaning and protection products to serve the janitorial, industrial supply, foodservice, healthcare, and hospitality markets, has purchased Innocore of Ontario, Canada, maker of Touch Point and Certainty Brands premoistened, non-woven, surface and personal wipes, and other hand care products.
Jim Tanner, Chief Executive Officer of Profile Products retired from his position earlier this year. Shane Porzio succeeded him as President and CEO and as a Director on the Board of Directors.
Altoz, Inc. a manufacturer of zero-turn mowers and outdoor power equipment, announced that Horizon Distributors, a distributor of landscape and outdoor power equipment with over 85 locations across 12 states, now carries the Altoz product line.
ECHO Incorporated, a manufacturer of outdoor power equipment for commercial and use, appointed Harold Redman as its new president and CEO. He brings more than 30 years of outdoor power equipment experience. He succeeds Tim Dorsey, who is retiring after 27 years serving in various roles, most recently as president for the last nine years. Dorsey will continue to serve as a Global Operating Officer of Yamabiko and a board member for ECHO and Yamabiko Europe.
Kawasaki Celebrates 50 Years Of Jet Skis
Foothill Ranch, Calif.—Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. is honoring the golden anniversary of its iconic Jet Ski personal watercraft (PWC) products with the 50 years of exhilaration celebration.
When the original Jet Ski watercraft debuted in 1973, it created a whole new lifestyle of having fun on the water. What began with a liquid-cooled 400cc two-stroke twin engine, pivoting handlepole system and ability to slice turns and skim over waves has evolved to a supercharged 1,498cc inline four-stroke marine engine. Despite the technological evolutions, the soul of a Jet Ski remains recreating the feeling of riding a motorcycle on the water.
Congrats to the company for the many thrills it has provided on the open water.
MaxLite Opens New Headquarters In New Jersey
Pine Brook, N.J.—MaxLite, a provider of energy-efficient lighting solutions, has opened its new headquarters in Pine Brook, N.J. The building includes new office space, a state-of-the-art training center and showroom, equipped with MaxLite’s luminaires and c-Max Network lighting controls system.
As part of the move, the company also shifted its New Jersey warehouse operations to its facility in Indiana. Opened last year, the 100,000-square-foot Greenwood distribution and value add center will now serve regions previously served by the New Jersey location, in addition to its existing footprint.
The Parthenon Museum Wins Five TAM Awards
Nashville, Tenn.—Nashville’s iconic Parthenon Museum was a recipient of five Tennessee Association of Museums (TAM) awards at a conference earlier this year. The Awards of Excellence were presented to museums across the state for exceptional projects, programs, and events held during 2022.
The museum received four Superlative Achievement Awards and one award for volunteerism. The four Superlative Achievement Awards were in recognition of:
Looking Back: 125 Years After the Tennessee Centennial, a temporary exhibit
Centennial Park History Tour, Tennessee Centennial Exposition, an educational/public programs
Foreign Language Architecture Audio Tours
STEAM: Expedition to the Parthenon (Polychromy) for educational/school programing
Greg Delzer, a docent at the museum who spearheaded the Centennial Park History tour as well as provided many research hours for the exhibition, received an award for his stellar volunteerism.
Allen Parks And Rec Offers Dinosaur Fun
Allen, Texas—In the Fall of 2020, Allen Parks and Rec was looking for a way to get residents
outside for safe programming. They partnered with The Dinosaur Company, a local animatronic dinosaur company, to create the Search for Cece (a Coelophysis). Residents flocked to the parks to search for Cece and follow dinosaur tracks before Cece returned home to The Dinosaur Company.
Cece has become an important part of Allen events, as she is one of the main attractions at the Halloween dinosaur drive-through event and makes appearances at the Allen Public Library and the Eggcellent Family Adventure.
The Dinosaur Company was recently honored with the Small Business of the Year award by the Allen/Fairview Chamber of Commerce. To learn more about the company or how to incorporate their animatronics into your events, visit thedinosaurcompany.shop.
Funsicle, Terracycle Launch Inflatable Pool And Float Program
Trenton, N.J.—Funsicle, an outdoor recreation brand within the Polygroup family, is partnering with international recycling group TerraCycle to enable consumers in the United States to recycle Funsicle inflatable pools and floats. As part of their ‘Float on Purpose’ sustainability initiative, Funsicle now offers customers the opportunity to reduce waste by collecting deflated Funsicle inflatables and sending them directly to TerraCycle to be recycled—at no cost to the consumer.
Participation is easy: sign up on the TerraCycle program page at www.terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/funsicle and mail in Funsicle inflatable pools and floats using a prepaid shipping label. For each pound of inflatables returned, the collector earns one dollar toward charity gifts or cash donations to a school or non-profit organization of their choice.
The program is open to any interested pool owner, individual, school, or community organization. Once collected, the floats and pools are cleaned, shredded, and melted into hard plastic that can be remolded to make new recycled products.
LSI Implores You To Think Like A Kid
Have you ever thought about what goes through kids’ minds when they first set eyes on a playground? They're met with bright colors, shapes, and foreseen challenges, and can decide where to enter the play structure, what to explore, and how to engage with the obstacles. Interestingly, kids are making these decisions before they even step foot into the play space. That's why Landscape Structures, designs play environments to be newly fresh and exciting upon every visit. Integrating non-linear play features offers kids graduated challenges, while unique combinations of form and color stimulate sensory experiences and creativity for children of all abilities. Learn more by scheduling a Learning Academy session today at playlsi.com/session-request.