As Latin music pulsed inside Lost River Elementary School’s gym, several ladies hopped back and forth, doing knee lifts and arm stretches, clapping their hands and incorporating shakes and hip twists – all at Lori Massey’s instruction.

“I like this,” she said.

When thinking of spring, Massey said new beginnings come to mind, a time of year when people tend to get new energy that was lost between Jan. 1 and the beginning of spring. And with spring in the air – and literally around the corner Saturday – many community organizations are blooming with new activities, such as Introduction to Zumba Fitness.

Massey, a fifth-grade teacher at the elementary school, also is a Zumba instructor for Bowling Green Athletic Club. On Mondays, she teaches the ladies inside the elementary school gym to twist their hips for Community Education.

“I love Zumba. It’s fun. It’s what we call exercise in disguise, and it’s the music that drives the class,” she said.

After teaching the class for Community Education in the winter, Massey is again the instructor for the spring term.

“A lot of people … looking for things to do, and Community Education opens eyes to various activities they can do,” she said. “(The classes) are economical and offer a lot of diversity.”

When spring rolls around, Community Education often is busy gearing up for summer programs for kids, the spring term classes and volunteer appreciation.

“We are kicking it into high gear,” said Anne Grubbs, enrichment and volunteer coordinator for Community Education.

From computer classes to home and garden to needlework to recreation and health, Community Education provides adult enrichment classes that appeal to a wide range of people.

“There’s something there for everybody,” she said.

Outdoor classes, such as photography, get people motivated, Grubbs said. New this spring season is the Latin Culture Through Music, Dance and Food, which begins April 22. The three-session class will look at dance techniques from Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Mexico, and some Latin food recipes. Latin cultures also will be discussed, Grubbs said.

Wedding 101, a class that hasn’t been offered recently, is also returning, Grubbs said.

“A wedding planner will do a one-time seminar on wedding planning,” she said. “Not so much a how-to, but the things you should and shouldn’t do.”

Grubbs said there will be new sewing classes and a class on herbs and the immune system, which will begin May 4 and be taught by Mary Hammond, an herbologist new to the area.

“Those who stay active, stay young,” Grubbs said. “People are realizing these are things they can do at a low cost for entertainment and it’s reliable … this is a nonthreatening atmosphere, it’s an easy way to go in and continue learning.”

Some popular classes, such as Zumba, draw people in, then they might find another class or two to take, she said. That rang true for Western Kentucky University grad student Ashley Herndon, 26.

“I’ll definitely do a class again,” said Herndon, who is taking the Zumba class – her first Community Education class. “I always thought Community Ed was something after school for kids. I didn’t know they offered adult classes like this.

“This is great for the community and a great way to meet the community.”

Down in the Valley

Community Education isn’t the only organization kicking into high gear. Lost River Cave and Valley will offer a variety of activities for the public, starting with geocaching.

Local geocaching expert and seasoned Lost River volunteer, Danny Bays, will host another event in the Geocaching 101 Family Education Series, “Geocaching: First Period.”

The event begins at 1 p.m. Saturday at the picnic area behind the Lost River Visitors Center. Geocaching is an interactive treasure hunt that uses latitude/longitude coordinates and GPS technology to find caches – in this case, treasures.

“There are five treasures hidden throughout the park,” said Annie Holt, operations supervisor for the local attraction. “Participants can see the entire park when they geocache.”

The activity, for beginners and those who just love the hobby, has become very popular, Holt said. Officials support it because they see it as a healthy outdoor activity.

“There are folks who want to enjoy the outdoors but don’t know how,” she said. “This gives them something to do while out on the trail.”

On April 17, Lost River will celebrate Earth Day from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., at which time they will remove invasive plants, specifically a vine called winter creeper.

“It’s easier for people to ID what they are pulling,” she said.

Holt said Earth Day is the perfect time to do activities that encourage a greener environment. The evasive plant education and removal program encourages people to landscape with native plants.

“The more the exotic plants are planted, the more they spread, and take over the native plants,” she said. “There are a lot of benefits to landscaping with native plants, like less care because they are already adapted to grow in this environment.”

Holt said the park will be in full swing in May and June with another phase of the geocaching series, National Trails Day with guided bike rides and lectures, and the annual butterfly celebration.

“This is always a big hit with the community,” Holt said.

Anyone for tea?

Soon girls of all ages will have the chance to show their creative use of color in dressing up for a special tea party – the Spring Tea Party at the Warren County Public Library’s main branch. Participants will have an opportunity to dress up in spring colors or dress with a spring theme – such as a ladybug, butterfly or flower – share stories and have tea or lemonade, said Stephanie Wycihowski, youth outreach coordinator for the library.

“It’s a kickoff to spring,” she said. “It’s something fun and a unique way to celebrate spring, and it lets the girls dress up. And what girl doesn’t like to dress up?”

Wycihowski said the library hosted several tea parties last year, which were popular. Yet this one is a little different; it is focused on girls in kindergarten and up.

“Adult women remember dressing up when they were little so it can be a memory for them, and it could be a new experience for the little girls that come,” she said.

The event will take place at 6 p.m. Tuesday. Although it is free, registration is required by calling the main library.

Wycihowski said there are several activities to look forward to, including the Kentucky Public Library Association Conference in Bowling Green, where some local librarians will be presenting.

Jayne Pulaski with the Warren County Public Library said for the rest of March, the library will be concluding its Cabin Fever Workshops. At 6 p.m. March 25 at the main branch, Timothy Mullin, curator for the Kentucky Library and Museum, will present Victorian Landscaping: Your Yard, Old School Charm. He will provide tips about how to create a beautifully landscaped yard.

On April 1, Portia Pennington and Amy Wood will discuss their new book, “Bowling Green Since 1950.” It provides readers with “iconic images of Bowling Green through the last 50 years of the 20th century – images of poetic artistry combined with the intimate detail of everyday life,” Pennington said. This program is at 6 p.m. at the main branch, Pulaski noted in an e-mail to the Daily News.

The library’s biggest event is the Southern Kentucky Book Fest on April 17, which will feature authors Richard Paul Evans, Lisa Scottoline and Laura Numeroff.

In May, the library will feature its new speaker series called Fact, Fiction and Forensics, with best-selling suspense author Jeffery Deaver. Other authors in this series will include Tess Gerritsen, Jefferson Bass and Catherine Coulter.

“The spring is the start to a busy season for us … it’s not slow. We have a lot going on,” Wycihowski said.

Wycihowski said that while the library is busy throughout the year, in January and February people tend to curl up with a book indoors. As the weather gets nicer, more people will venture out.

“They want to get out, not be stuck in their homes, meet people, see people and learn things,” she said. “As a library, we try to be everything to everyone – sometimes like a community center. This is a free place to go … there is so much to offer.”