Did you know that being active in  state Parks this summer could help them win big in the America Is Your Park campaign? The title of “America’s Favorite Park” and a $100,000 recreation grant are up for grabs. So get out, play and vote for your favorite park on LivePositively.com before Sept. 6, 2011!

America Is Your Park encourages families to get active outdoors in parks across the country and vote to help their favorite park win one of three recreation grants made possible by the Coca-Cola Live Positively initiative. If you like rollerblading, biking, running, playing ball or just walking your dog, there’s no better place than South Dakota state parks to to enjoy those activities. The funding can help support needed restoration projects that will improve our state parks.

Think a park is too small to win? That wasn’t the case for last year’s winning park, Bear Head Lake State Park, a small park in Ely, Minn. It bested hundreds of others to be named “America’s Favorite Park,” receiving more than 1.6 million votes because of support from people in that community who cared about the park, spread the word, conducted voting drives and energized their online social networks.

Let’s put our votes and support behind our state parks by:

• Logging onto LivePositively.com to vote
• Uploading photos from the park to LivePositively.com
• “Checking in” to your favorite park via Facebook Places
• Uploading videos of activities in the park to LivePositively.com (starting Aug. 10)
• You can also help by spreading the word about the contest. Urge people to vote by reminding park visitors, sending emails, posting a status on Facebook or sending a message on Twitter.

America Is Your Park was developed by Coca-Cola in collaboration with the National Park Foundation, America’s State Parks and the National Recreation and Park Association. In addition to the top park receiving a $100,000 recreation grant, Coca-Cola will award a $50,000 grant and a $25,000 grant to the second- and third-place parks. Those grants will help restore, rebuild or enhance recreation areas in parks where people can play and be active.

One of South Dakota’s parks could be crowned “America’s Favorite Park” this summer. But it’s up to you – so get outdoors, play in the park and don’t forget to vote!