GREEN RIVER - The secret's out. Green River is a great place to play and have fun.

The city has been recognized as one of the few "Playful City USA " communities in the country by KaBoom!, a national non-profit organization dedicated to bringing play back into children's lives, and by qubo, a television and online service for children.

KaBoom spokesman Mike Vietti said this year's selections mark the second year of the annual program.

Only 67 communities across the country have attained national recognition as a Playful City USA community. Green River was the only community in Wyoming designated as such, Vietti said in a phone interview from his Washington office Monday.

The award said in order to ensure that their children are active and healthy, the city has taken an "innovative approach" to make play a priority for Green River's youth.

Vietti said despite mounting budget issues, Green River was still able to create initiatives to increase both the quantity and quality of play and playgrounds, as well as increasing access to existing opportunities to play.

Vietti said qualifying communities had to meet five commitments in order to be named a Playful City USA.

As part of the process, Green River had to establish a play commission, create a play space audit that lists play areas and equipment, develop an annual action plan for play, identify current spending for play spaces, and proclaim and celebrate an annual play day.

"What Green River did that really sort of stuck out for us was to take a really tightly wound community and involve folks from all sorts of different sectors in their approach to play," he said.

"It wasn't just the Parks and Rec Department behind the effort … it seemed like one of the city's goals was to get involvement from all different groups from the community, which they've done very well," he said.

"And for Green River's play day this year … they really got the schools involved and they did a lot of reaching out to the different schools in the area just to promote the play day," said Vietti.

City officials said they were honored to be recognized for the award.

"As the only community and municipality in Wyoming and one of only 67 nationally to achieve this award, we owe it to the continual support of our citizens, boards, commissions and governing body," Green River Parks and Recreation Director Walt Bratton said in a release.

Other communities honored this year include New York; Los Angeles; St. Petersburg, Fla.; Orlando; Nampa, Idaho; Northglenn, Colo., and Henderson, Nev.

Contact Jeff Gearino at (307) 875-5359 or gearino@tribcsp.com