Russ Harrington: The Man Behind Quincy Recreation
Getting to know the Director of the Quincy Recreation Department
If you live in Quincy, you’ve probably felt it—recreation here isn’t just “something to do.” It’s part of how the community stays connected. It’s the pool in the summer, youth sports on the weekends, after-school programs, events that become traditions, and those small moments where neighbors run into each other and catch up.
But behind all of that is someone doing the planning, the coordinating, the problem-solving, and—yes—sometimes waking up at two in the morning thinking through logistics.
I finally had the chance to sit down and just talk with Russ Harrington, Quincy’s Recreation Director, about how he got here, what people misunderstand about his job, what he’s proud of, and what it’s like carrying the weight of a community’s expectations.
(Full audio + full transcript will be attached to this post.)
The Full Audio Interview with Rec Director Russ Harrington
From “wildlife biology” to recreation
Russ didn’t originally plan to work in parks and recreation. In college, he thought he wanted to be a biologist.
“I thought I wanted to be a biologist and wildlife biologist… and I didn’t have a whole lot of chemistry or heavy duty math when I was in high school here in Quincy.”
Then came chemistry.
“My first chemistry class… and bombed that one real fast.”
So he pivoted—toward something that matched how he already lived. He grew up in scouting, loved the outdoors, and was getting into rock climbing.
“I went, well, recreation… outdoor play. That sounds fun.”
At first, he imagined the park ranger route—Yosemite, Arches, the dream.
But a professor gave him the reality check:
“There’s about four or five positions open a year… and he’s telling us to the first class of 30 students and there’s two more classes coming in behind…”
That’s when Russ “switched gears” toward nonprofit and community recreation, working for the Boy Scouts—until he learned what that professional nonprofit life often becomes.
“The nonprofit sector was fundraising and membership drives… it wasn’t about the programs for the kids as much anymore.”
And fundraising at that level isn’t for the faint of heart.
“I’m asking for 300,000, 400,000… as a community to try and support scouting.”
Russ realized quickly:
“That wasn’t what I like to do. I like to be involved in programs… provide things for kids and activities.”
Coming home—and an unexpected detour
Russ moved back to Quincy from the Oregon coast—bringing his (then) girlfriend, now wife—into what he described as a major shift.
“She only knew the water and the wet… and she moved into the desert. So that was a little culture shock for her.”
For a season, Russ took a different path entirely: Les Schwab.
“I started working out at Les Schwab… planning on going through the management programs…”
He even met Les Schwab himself, and that impression stuck.
“He was just smart as a whip… he knew exactly what Quincy was about… he knew it was a farming community.”
But once his kids were in school, Russ didn’t want the “move around” reality of climbing the ladder.
“I decided I was just gonna keep changing tires for a while.”
Still, recreation never fully left his mind.
“I’d always been watching for rec positions… because I didn’t figure I wanted to change tires my whole life—and my body tells me that now too.”
Building Quincy Recreation “from scratch”
When Russ got the job with the City, he didn’t step into a fully-formed system.
“It had been 12 years when I finally got the job here at the city… basically started building the program from scratch. We didn’t have much of a rec program.”
He had helped organize events during Quincy’s centennial celebration in 2007—scavenger hunts, croquet, community activities—so he had some local groundwork. But officially, the job started April 1st, 2011.
“April 1st, April Fools Day, 2011.”
And then it was go time.
“I was kind of turned loose and they said, ‘we wanna see some programs.’ And so then it was like… Quincy doesn’t have any programs.”
So Russ did what builders do: he looked outward, studied what worked elsewhere, and adapted it.
“I started looking at everybody around us… Moses Lake had an established program. Wenatchee had an established program. Eastmont had an established program…”
He also had to learn how to do recreation inside city government.
“The city had to learn how to deal with a rec department and I had to learn how to… city government, finances, all that.”
And he’s still learning. I asked a lot of questions then and I still ask a lot of questions now.
“They probably think I play a lot.”
When I asked Russ what people assume about his job that’s wrong, he laughed and got honest.
“They probably think I play a lot. And as the director, I definitely… do get to play a lot, but I don’t always get to play a lot.”
He reminded me that the Rec Department isn’t some massive staff machine.
“There’s only two of us that run the rec program.”
In the early days, he and Amanda did everything. Over time, as programs grew, staffing expanded—especially for after-school programming.
“I don’t necessarily have a direct influence on the afterschool program anymore… my office is in the building so I can hear what the kids are doing… I help ’em set up… I come out when I need to settle kids down…”
He doesn’t get dog-piled by four-year-olds playing flag football like he used to.
“I don’t get to do a lot of that stuff anymore… I’m getting older.”
But he still loves the community contact—especially in summer.
“Sometimes the summertime at the pool is the only time I see… people that I grew up with… and I just happen to show up down there.”
What a “good day” looks like
For Russ, a good day depends on the season. In summer, it’s simple:
“When things are clicking at the pool… lifeguards are set into their routine… day camp is doing a good job…”
But what really makes it a good day is seeing the impact.
“When everything’s going smooth and I can see a lot of smiling faces and kids are having fun and parents are having fun… that’s a great day.”
And sometimes it’s those crossover moments—when a “rec kid” is also a “community kid.”
He mentioned announcing wrestling senior night at the high school and celebrating a milestone:
“One of our lady wrestlers… she had her hundredth win… she’s also one of our lifeguards…”
That combination—work, community, watching young people grow—is the part he clearly loves.
The programs he’s proudest of
Russ pointed to something Quincy now relies on: established programs that run well and keep growing.
“Our youth soccer program… we took that… and I think it’s actually grown quite a bit since then.”
The scale is impressive:
“We’ll roughly have 200 kids, 250 kids playing… we’ll have 30 different teams… spring and fall.”
And he said it’s become self-sustaining with the right support.
“That program… does a real good job of self-sustaining itself.”
Then there are the traditions.
“Our daddy-daughter dance… probably our longest running program… 14 years, give or take.”
Russ talked about those years when his daughter was young and it was his turn to show up as a dad, not the director.
“It was always fun… the girls would hang out and have fun and we’d be dancing.”
And of course, there’s the pool—generations of Quincy summers.
“I swam in that pool when I was a kid… three and four generations of people that swam in that pool.”
He also didn’t sugarcoat what’s coming with the new aquatic center.
“It’s gonna be hiccups… bumps. I’m gonna apologize right now for people.”
But he’s clearly energized by the change.
“It’s gonna be a fun learning process… new amenities… to offer the community again.”
The hardest part: when people aren’t happy
Russ said the hardest decisions usually show up when things go wrong—especially when parents are upset.
“I hate to see that, especially when it affects kids… the kid still had a good time, but the parent is the one that got upset.”
He’s not naïve about it. Public-facing work means conflict sometimes lingers.
“Sometimes it lasts for a couple, three, four years… because of a decision that I made…”
He explained the tension between fun and safety—the reality that city recreation has liability, rules, and responsibilities.
“The fun things aren’t necessarily the safe things… as a city government, we have to look at the liability aspects of it.”
But he also sees opportunities to add “fun” with safety, especially for older kids.
“We’ve got a new rope swing coming into the pool… got a 16 foot rock climbing wall…”
The part people don’t see: bringing it home with you
I asked Russ how he carries this job personally—whether he can leave it at work.
“Short answer is no, not always.”
He talked about how feedback often doesn’t come directly.
“Most people don’t come in and tell you… to your face… most of the time it’s probably through the grapevine…”
And sometimes that sticks with him in the worst possible time slot.
“At about two in the morning, my mind switched on… I woke up and there was something about work… running over in my mind.”
He’s an early morning guy already, but the 2 a.m. wake-ups aren’t “normal early.”
“That was probably an 18 hour day… I was thinking about work at two in the morning…”
How he recharges
With both kids out of the area, Russ and his wife have found new rhythms for recharging—especially traveling to visit them.
“Our daughter’s graduating from University of Idaho… our son’s a wildland firefighter… we like to go visit them.”
They’ve also started taking longer weekend trips—something they didn’t do much when the kids were young.
“We looked at a map and… went, wait. There’s places that are way closer than seven hours away… so we’ve started… explore… plan vacations to go see new states…”
And yes—cruises.
“We’ve taken two cruises… up to Alaska… trying to do a cruise a year… it’s a good way to relax and forget about everything.”
Russ even laughed about the Alaska weather being familiar—and how it’s entertaining watching people from other climates react.
“My wife and I are in shorts and flip flops… and everybody’s bundled up… and we’re just like, this is great weather.”
Quick hits: ice cream, Batman, and zombie plans
Because every good local profile needs a little fun:
Favorite ice cream?
“Ben and Jerry’s caramel sutra… anything that’s got lots of big pockets of caramel.”
Batman or Superman?
“I’m a Batman guy. I’m Batman.”
Movie he can throw on anytime?
“Major League… I’ve probably seen it over a thousand times.”
Zombie apocalypse weapon?
“Lucille… I don’t wanna have to look for bullets all the time… baseball bat’s easy to swing.”
Closing Thoughts…
Russ’s story is Quincy in a nutshell: rooted here, shaped by community, willing to learn on the fly, and still building.
He’s worn a few different hats—scouting, fundraising, changing tires, city government—but the through-line is clear: he likes programs, people, and creating spaces where families can have a good time.
And while a lot of folks only see the “events” side of Recreation, the truth is there’s a constant mix of planning, logistics, safety, budgets, and community feedback behind every win.
With any great program, business or service there are people often unseen. Sometimes they are alone, sometimes they have a small team or a large team; but there is always 1 person heading it up who cares enough to put in the long days. In our community Rec Department Russ Harrington leads that charge and we are blessed to have him.
(Full audio + full transcript attached to this post.)
