Durham Parks and Recreation: Play More!

By: Mal Atkinson, Resource Coordinator In May 2022, Burton Park, located at 1501 Sima Avenue, received a brand new, kid-designed playground, which was installed by 250 local volunteers over the course of three days for a total of 1,000 hours. From unloading the playground pieces, to spreading mulch, to mixing concrete, to painting railings, each volunteer played a crucial role from start to finish in the build process. We would like to give a special shout out to the various groups, organizations, and City departments that volunteered throughout build week: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Durham Parks and Recreation Recreation Advisory Commission Durham Parks Foundation Durham Fire Department Durham EMS Durham Police Department Durham Housing Authority Durham County Government City Attorney’s Office City Clerk’s Office Duke University - The Fuqua School Of Business And thank you to our project partners, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC) and KABOO

Let's celebrate! You're invited to the Grand Opening Celebration for Merrick-Moore Park, located at 632 N Hoover Road, on Saturday, June 18 from 9 a.m. to Noon with an official ribbon cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. The 50-acre park is aptly named for the neighboring Merrick-Moore Community and its namesakes, John Merrick (1859-1919) and Dr. Aaron McDuffie Moore (1863-1923). John Merrick was a successful business man, community leader, as well as co-founder and president of the North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company (North Carolina Mutual), which became the largest Black-owned business in the United States. Merrick co-founded North Carolina Mutual with Dr. Aaron Moore, the city’s first Black physician who was central to the establishment of Durham’s Black Wall Street, the Durham Colored Library, and the Lincoln Hospital, the first Black-run hospital in the city. Together, Merrick and Moore are credited with earning Durham a reputation as the "Capital of the Black Middle

Are you ready to rock!? Durham Parks and Recreation offers a summer series that includes concerts and movies in a beautiful setting - Durham's parks. You're invited to sit back, relax and enjoy family and friends while grooving to music or watching a movie on a big screen. Both activities are free and open to the public. Concerts are held from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. and movies are held from 8:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m.  Go ahead and mark your calendar for the following dates: Saturday, June 11 | 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. at Forest Hills Park [1639 University Drive] Band: Sajaso (Jazz) Saturday, June 25 | 8:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m. at Durham Central Park [501 Foster Street] Movie: Encanto (PG) Saturday, July 9 | 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. at Rock Quarry Park [701 Stadium Drive] Band: CJ Baker and "September" Earth, Wind & Fire Tribute Saturday, July 23 | 8:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m. at Durham Central Park [501 Foster Street] Movie: Space Jam: A New Legacy (PG) Saturday, August 6 | 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. at Southern Bou