Residents in Okotoks are being encouraged to get out and enjoy the green spaces the town has to offer.

June is Parks and Rec Month throughout Canada.

Matt Lumsdon, community programs coordinator for the Town of Okotoks, says it's a great way to promote being active outdoors.

"It helps to increase awareness about the benefits and importance of recreation in parks and ultimately help encourage residents to become more active in their communities," he says. "It's also a great opportunity for us to educate citizens on the importance and benefits of recreation in parks for physical, social, and environmental health."

To help promote the town's green spaces and importance of being active in the community a Twitter contest is being held where residents have the chance to win an Okotoks family recreation pass.

A photo can be tweeted using the hashtag #okotoksgetsactive of people or their families using their favourite walking or biking trail and park.

Lumsdon says this week the Town is looking for residents to show how they get to the Spirit of Okotoks Parade on Saturday.

"For this week coming up we want people to show us how they used active transportation to get to the parade... how they used their skateboards, how they walked, how they biked, rather than using their cars."

A Trail of the Week contest is also being held where certain trails in town are being highlighted where residents can tweet a photo using the hashtag #okotoksgetsactive, and for youth a passport challenge that's similar to a scavenger hunt is taking place. The passport can be picked up from the Okotoks Recreation Centre or downloaded online. Once the passport is complete and it's returned to the rec centre children could win a youth prize pack.

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