Durham Parks and Recreation: Play More!

By: Mal Atkinson, Resource Coordinator John Goebel has a special love for Sandy Creek Park and his commitment to enriching the outdoor experiences to park visitors has been immense. John’s role as a volunteer with Durham Parks and Recreation has been diverse. He has volunteered for over 7 years, most recently finishing a vast park improvement project at Sandy Creek Park. The project included installing pond levelers to combat flooding caused by beavers, an accessible sidewalk to the highest point in the park and developing a History Grove in memory of Larry Stogner. Additionally, John has managed several projects at Sandy Creek Park that have helped to make it a destination park in Durham, including the wetlands trail, the installation of milkweed and declaration of the park as a Monarch Wayfaring destination, the butterfly garden, and the swing. And if that wasn’t enough, John is also a vigorous fundraiser in support of Sandy Creek Park which has helped DPR attain national recogni...

Book Harvest and Durham Parks and Recreation (DPR) are teaming up to install Book Boxes at the I.R. Holmes, Sr. Recreation Center at Campus Hills and Edison Johnson Recreation Center. Book Boxes will provide families in Durham with ongoing access to literacy resources and support to help children thrive in school and life. To commemorate the partnership, DPR and Book Harvest held an official ribbon-cutting ceremony at Edison Johnson Recreation Center (500 W. Murray Avenue) on Thursday, June 17. Community members can now access the Book Boxes at each recreation center during regular operating hours. The boxes are stocked regularly with new and gently-used, culturally inclusive books for children ages 0-18. Children can keep the books they select. To increase book abundance and access, Book Harvest plans to disseminate 85,000 books this summer. The boxes at the two DPR recreation centers will contribute to this goal and are the fourth and fifth Book Harvest sites in Durham. Interested in...

By: LeeAnn Kennedy, Recreation Supervisor Silence can be deafening, it can also provide a moment for us to reflect and figure things out or perhaps find a new direction. It was a little over a year ago when the world went silent, our daily routines shut down and the normal noise of every day hustle and bustle was quiet, even in our parks. Slowly, yet cautiously, we were able to move forward and as families and individuals moved outside for recreation our parks, trails and athletic courts became busier, livelier and silent no more. As numbers grew in our parks so did the amount of free play on both tennis and basketball courts and as a result we presented the idea of community play days to assist in providing space for those who wanted access to these amenities, especially during evening hours. We designated courts for our tennis facilities and specific days for our basketball facilities in which lights were available to use until 10 p.m. at no cost. The ability to access lights at thes...

Looking to mix-up your workout routine or maybe you're trying to start some healthy habits!? Either way, did you know some of our Durham parks are equipped with outdoor exercise and fitness equipment!? We'll share all the local places you can get your exercise on this summer!  Carroll Street Park : Located at 815 Carroll Street, this neighborhood park features 2 cross country ski machines and a universal exercise station with several different types of exercises. Cornwallis Road Park  : This 19.97 acre park is located in South Durham at 2830 Wade Road. Cornwallis Road Park has a cardio stepper on the trail near the bridge to the playground. Edgemont Park : Located in East Central Durham at 205 S Elm Street, Edgemont Park has several pieces of aerobic equipment. They have a recumbent bicycle, a cross country ski machine and stationary strength building equipment including a sit up bench, pull up bars, push up bars, a lift station, and 2 core building platforms. I...

Grab your snacks and warm blankets and join us for a movie night under the stars! Durham Parks and Recreation is bringing free movies to you! Watch from the comfort of your vehicle or bring your own chairs and sit in front of your vehicle. Registered participants can also ride bikes, ride public transportation, or walk to the event. All Bull City Reels on Wheels events are free, but tickets must be reserved online . Only one ticket is needed per parking spot. Reserving your ticket online guarantees you entry to the show. We only authorize as many tickets as we have spots available for each show. Ticket registration will be taken online until all spots are full or until 3 p.m. on the day of the event. No tickets will be issued at the gate. No shows are no fun! If you reserve a ticket and can no longer attend, please let us know as soon as possible! Friday, June 18 9 p.m., Gates open at 8 p.m. Durham County Memorial Stadium, 750 Stadium Drive Movie Title & Rating: Amistad (R) Registe...

We’re back….and in most cases we never left. When the initial stay at home orders were given, parks and trails were for the most part excluded. Our team along with medical and environmental experts have long touted the health and wellness benefits of the outdoors for years. However, as the health crisis intensified more and more people flocked to our parks and trails to take advantage of the benefits. You embraced us and the benefits we provided more than ever. Thank you, now keep it up! I also ask you to recognize our team members who have served the community during this exceptional time. Especially our team members who worked hard keeping parks, trails, and public restrooms clean and safe, picked up litter, mowed grass, raked leaves, made playground repairs, and provided facilities for children to have safe access to online schools and created virtual programming to keep you moving and connected. Join me in thanking our front-line essential parks and recreation team members! Want to...