Durham Parks and Recreation: Play More!

After years of commitment and dedication to serving the City of Durham community, Rhonda Parker, the Director of Durham Parks and Recreation, has announced her retirement, which will begin in March 2020. It is with mixed emotions as we prepare to say farewell that we congratulate Rhonda on her successes and wish her the absolute best as she heads into this next chapter of life as a retiree. She has bravely led our department through ups and downs, new initiatives, staff changes and so much more! Before we officially say goodbye, we asked some DPR staff to share favorite memories, initiatives and words of encouragement for Rhonda and here is what they had to say! "Watching her eyes light up when Doug E Fresh hit the stage at Bimbé. It was then that I realized that our Director was cool." " One morning, on a particularly windy day, Rhonda came rushing into the building and  per usual she was saying her good mornings to everyone.  For some reason I looked up to respon...

During this time the health and safety of our residents and staff are our top priority, beginning at 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 15, all City of Durham Parks and Recreation facilities and pools will close to the public.We have canceled and/or suspended all instructional and drop-in programs, leagues, activities, and events until further notice. The 2020 Durham Senior Games has been canceled. For more information, visit our website at  dprplaymore.org . Excitement about 2020 Durham Senior Games & SilverArts is building daily! With the opening event a little over two months away, registrations are coming in and Mature Adults all across Durham are practicing for their chosen athletic event(s) and/or working on their artistic endeavors. The Durham Senior Games will officially begin on April 13 and end on April 30. This Olympic style event is designed to create a year-round health promotion and competition for participants that are 50+ years old. Participants will compete in a wid...

When you have a team working together to reach the same goal, a lot can be accomplished in the matter of a year! Fiscal Year 2019 (FY19), which covers July 2018 through June 2019, shaped up to be an exciting year for the Residents of Durham and Durham Parks and Recreation! The list is long (and we can't fit everything in a single blog post) but here's a brief look back at some of the things Durham Parks and Recreation accomplished in FY 19... The tennis courts at Morreene Road Park were renovated, the concrete paths around the playground were removed, and the edges of the playground surface repaired. A public art installation was also included at this location. We received $144,000 in Grant Funding, $1,008 in Cash Donations and $6,093 in In-Kind Donations. We experienced a 51% increase in enrollments in After School within the past two years, increasing from 91 participants in FY17 to 139 participants in FY19. The transportation pilot, staffing, training and customer ser...

Updated on March 17, 2020: Summer camp registration has been delayed until further notice. Once a new date is confirmed we will provide at least one week’s notice prior to opening registration. Please continue checking our website and social media accounts for updates and announcements. For more information about Summer Camp options please visit our website: https://www.dprplaymore.org/366/Summer-Camps Summer is right around the corner which means it is time to prepare to register for Durham Parks and Recreation summer camps! During the summer of 2020, we are offering several Youth and Teen summer camps, for ages 5-17. From swimming and games to field trips and arts and crafts, your child will be sure to have a ton of fun! We provide a safe, inclusive environment where all children are encouraged to participate. We are committed to the development of our campers' life skills through group activities and exposure to diverse athletic and educational experiences. For a full list of 2...