Each year more than 100,000 people use the Sparwood Recreation Centre.
According to the Director of Community and Facility Services for Sparwood, Duane Lawrence, while many are repeat users, small communities like Sparwood typically see two-thirds to three-quarters of the areas residents use facilities like a rec centre over a year.
“We are here for the community. It is very important, not only to us, but everyone living in Sparwood to have high quality recreation opportunities close to home,” said Lawrence. “We try to build community spirit while encouraging everyone, young and old, to keep active and healthy by participating in social and recreational programs.” Lawrence is looking forward to many of the rec centres upcoming events, which will feature fun for all ages. “We are looking forward to hosting the second annual Sleepy Hollow Pumpkin Walk in Lions Park which will take place this Halloween and the third annual Winterfest in February,” he said. “Our Pumpkin Walk is a fun way for us to celebrate Halloween in the community. Similarly Winterfest is an opportunity to bring the community together and celebrate all the fun that comes with lots and lots of snow. Every fall and winter is also jam packed with hockey games and tournaments as well as our annual figure skating carnivals. In November we are also looking forward to hosting the annual Christmas Craft Fair.”
While many of the programs have been around for several years, the rec centre also tries to add new events when possible.
“All of the programs get an annual facelift to make sure they stay exciting and are meeting our community’s needs. We are also working hard to help the community develop more capacity for providing recreation service,” said Lawrence. “This year our dance instructor opened a new dance centre and we are hoping for a gymnastics club in the future. There is also a dedicated group of volunteers that have founded the Sparwood Trails Alliance, which is working on developing more trails in and around our community. Increasing our community’s ability to provide recreation opportunities independent of the Leisure Centre is a key priority as we only have so much room to offer programs and these new clubs and groups allow us to try out new programs.”
Anyone interested in learning more about events or getting involved with the Sparwood Recreation Centre can find more information through Sparwood.ca/recreation or through the Leisure Guide, which is published in August, December and May.
“We are always looking for new opportunities for programs and events and continue to encourage the residents to join our wonderful team of instructors and volunteers so that we can host more programs and activities in our community,” said Lawrence.