Shakopee Snapshot: Fall 2024

How Can I Help You? Meet Mark Schneider, a Recreation Supervisor with the Parks & Recreation Department. Q: What do you do for the City? A: I am a Recreation Supervisor who coordinates the planning and implementation of our preschool, youth, and senior programming, as well as special events for the Parks & Recreation Department. Q: What do you enjoy about working for the City? A: The best part is the amount of support that we get from other departments. We are constantly collaborating with several other City staff to create and offer the fun, innovative, and new opportunities that we do each season. We could not make it happen without that support. Q: What’s the best part of your job? A: The amazing staff that I get to work with every day, including our seasonal recreation assistants and our dedicated and creative specialists and coordinators. They are the ones that really make everything come to life and create enjoyable experiences for our residents. I also love getting to see participants enjoying the spaces and recreational opportunities that we work so hard to create. It really makes all the work we put in worth it!

Enter your holiday display in the City’s lights contest Submissions open Nov. 25 for Shak the Halls! Holiday Lights Contest Roger Schmidt and Lis Griffith’s popular Shakopee Winter Wonderland display won the inaugural Shak the Halls! contest in 2023.

Join in the festive feel of the holiday sea son this year and enter your home’s outdoor holiday display for the City’s second annual Shak the Halls! Holiday Lights Contest. As part of this year’s contest, a self-guided tour map will be available on the City website at www.ShakopeeMN.gov/shakthehalls . The map will be updated on a rolling basis with all nominated homes so community members can enjoy the light displays. Submissions will be accepted at www.Shako peeMN.gov/shakthehalls from Monday, Nov. 25 through Friday, Dec. 13 and must include a photo of the display illuminated at night. CONTEST GUIDELINES ■ Participation is open to all residents of Shakopee. You may nominate your own home or that of a friend or neighbor, but you must have permission from the person who lives there. ■ To ensure a fair opportunity for all participants, individuals who have won

first place in the previous contest are not eligible to win first place in the subsequent contest but are welcome to enter and compete for other awards. ■ There is no fee to enter. ■ Entrants must submit a photo of the display they are nominating. Please submit photos taken at night, ensuring the display is illuminated. ■ Entries will be accepted from Monday, Shakopee Facebook page will begin by the afternoon of Saturday, Dec. 14. Winners will be announced by Wednesday, Dec. 18. ■ Winners will receive cash prizes: $100 for first place and $50 each for second and third place. The person who did the decorating (typically the resident/ decorator) is the person eligible for the prize. Nov. 25 through Friday, Dec. 13. ■ A voting period on the City of

NEWS & NOTES

NEW EMPLOYEES JOIN CITY STAFF Join us in welcoming these new employees to the City of Shakopee:

SUBMIT YOUR PHOTOS! Submit your photos to the 2024 Show Off Shakopee photo contest from Sept. 1–30 to win cash prizes. The grand prize winner will receive $100, and each category winner will receive $50. This year’s categories are: Uniquely Shakopee Community Connections Wildlife & Nature Budding Photographer (open subject, age 17 and under) Visit www.ShakopeeMN.gov/showoffshakopee to read the submis sion guidelines and enter your photos. We can’t wait to see your vision!

■ Parker Long , Ice Arena Specialist ■ Carly Gernbacher , HR Specialist ■ Mason Runyan , Firefighter ■ Samuel Schwaesdall , Firefighter ■ Dominick Schleper , Firefighter

In addition, the City thanks the seasonal employees who joined us for the summer, including 22 seasonal staff in Public Works, 43 seasonal staff in Parks & Rec, two Engineering interns, one Police Department intern, and two Administration interns!

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