The Forsyth County Parks and Recreation Department recently received six awards from the Georgia Recreation and Park Association.

The honors, which included four Distinguished Professional Awards and two Arts and Humanities Awards, were presented Nov. 5 during the association's annual conference in Athens.

The Distinguished Professional Award recognizes one person in each of the 12 association sections for their contributions to recreation and park services.

Paula Chambers was honored in cultural affairs, while Laura Pate won in the programmers section.

For outdoors, the honor went to Carrie Toth. Wayne Maddox won in the athletics section.

The department also won Arts and Humanities Awards for its Sawnee Arts Festival and the Eggstraordinary Outdoor Art Project.

In addition, the department also received the James Farrell Award of Excellence from the Amateur Softball Association.

Maddox accepted the award, which recognized the department for conducting two of the highest-rated ASA National Championships during 2008.

Jerry Kinsey, county parks and recreation director, said in a statement that he was “extremely proud of the hard work of our department."

“Having knowledgeable personnel who exhibit pride in their jobs is an essential ingredient to a successful and thriving parks and recreation system," he said.

"We are so fortunate in Forsyth County that we have not only great facilities, but also a dedicated staff to operate those facilities. With both components, a system is sure to achieve award-winning excellence."

The Georgia Recreation and Park Association is a statewide group that promotes local level recreation and park areas and services.

For more information on the local parks department, contact (770) 781-2215.