Durham Parks and Recreation: Play More!

Did you know there is a garden at West Point on the Eno? And, with the help of volunteers, we donate 100% of our harvest to local food pantry? Well, we do! It is located behind the McCown-Mangum House. In 2018 we harvested over 300 pounds of fresh produce in the West Point Garden. This is remarkable given we only have 620 square feet of raised beds. While 300 pounds of produce may not sound like too much, consider the pictures on the right. The top picture is 12 pounds of okra, tomatoes (beef steak and roma), eggplant and bush beans harvested on August 8, 2018. The bottom picture is 17 pounds of spinach, turnip and beet greens, green onions, lettuce mix, kale, and radishes harvested on May 10, 2018. This is twenty fiv 1.5 bags of produce. As you can see, 17 pounds of leafy greens and 12 pounds of other veggies is a lot! Staff coordinates these food donations through the Durham Farm and Food Network’s Plant-A-Row program. This program connects gardeners—backyard and communi...

Great things are happening with School Age Care! We’re halfway through the school year, and we have been busy having tons of fun. From celebrating Lights on After School and dancing the day away at our Winter Formal, to making the most of our time during Fall and Winter Intersession, our kids have come to enjoy many new types of programs.  We’ve even introduced “Kids Club”, a monthly themed program that highlights the various components of what makes After School great: Arts and Crafts, Cooking, Sports, S.T.E.M. and Nature! Come out see our new classroom additions that we have been hard at work putting together – we’ve got bean bags and new carpets, toys and puzzles and other fun additions. Our After School program is hosted at six of our Recreation centers across Durham and feature both traditional and year-round options. The program starts at 3 p.m. and lasts until 6 p.m. in the evening. Extended hours occur for early release days. For more information on specific locati...

By: Matthew Sprouse, Senior Aquatics Specialist Lifeguarding is typically considered a summer job for teenagers, but did you know Durham Parks and Recreation employs lifeguards year-round of all ages? Campus Hills Pool and Edison Johnson Aquatic Center operate all year. Even in the middle of winter, the pool is always 84 degrees and open for lap swim, and there are always lifeguards present in case of an emergency. Durham Parks and Recreation is always recruiting, training, and hiring lifeguards to keep pools open and swimmers safe. Part of this recruitment effort is Durham Parks and Recreation’s Durham Aquatic School. For the last 19 years, Durham Parks and Recreation has been holding free American Red Cross Lifeguard Training classes in the early spring to start the process of recruiting staff to work at the pools during the summer when lifeguards are needed most. These training classes, normally a $190 cost, are offered free of charge to anyone with no strings attached. By off...

Whether you are planning a wedding, family reunion or meeting, Durham Parks and Recreation has several facilities options for you to consider renting. Not quite sure which facility is the place for you? Read more about what the The Durham Armory has to offer below.  Overview Located on the corner of Foster and Morgan streets, The Durham Armory is the perfect venue for your next event! The facility features a spacious ballroom/auditorium with an open floor plan that can hold 585 people, without tables chairs. There is also a wrap-around balcony for upper seating for guests, that holds 314 people. For private space to get ready or prep items for your event, there are two smaller capacity rooms, the Birch Room, which holds 20 people, and the Oak Room, which holds 30 people. While the facility is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas day, there are plenty of other dates for you to choose from. Rental times include Sunday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. wit...

We're about midway through the season of youth co-ed individual basketball league and the competition has been nothing but fierce on the court. Between practices and games, it has been a busy 2018-2019 season. Youth between the ages of 5 and 12 have the opportunity to join a team and play basketball during the Fall. Practices and games, both lasting about one hour, are held on Saturday mornings as well as some weekdays, depending on your team schedule. The games are played at Walltown Park Recreation Center, Edison Johnson Recreation Center, Community Family Life and Recreation Center at Lyon Park, W.D. Hill Recreation Center and Holton Career & Resource Center. Throughout the season,  Want to know more about the practices and game rules? Check out this Parent Information Sheet which goes into detail on rules for each age group, cancellation line, winter weather details, and more. You can also check in on the season standings and game results on our website by click...

By: Michael Honeycutt Excitement and anticipation is growing among Durham’s Mature Adults for the 2019 Durham Senior Games & SilverArts. Persons 50 years and better have the opportunity to participate in sports, arts and social activities as well as meeting new friends and renewing old friendships. This program is sanctioned by North Carolina Senior Games, Inc. (NCSG) and is sponsored statewide by the North Carolina Division of Aging. This annual event, which begins Monday, April 15, provides Mature Adults the opportunity to compete in a host of athletic and artistic activities in various locations around Durham. More than thirty sporting events and twenty art forms are available. Athletic events in Durham Senior Games include: basketball, track and field, bowling, swimming, cornhole, cycling, golf, horseshoes, badminton, billiards, table tennis, shuffleboard, croquet, pickleball, and bocce. For those wishing to showcase their artistic endeavors, the Silver Arts ...

Did you know that DPR now has 4 dog parks for dogs to enjoy off-leash play!? Piney Wood Dog Park, Northgate Dog Park, the Downtown Dog Park (on the corner of Roxboro and Elliott Streets), and our newest dog park, the PetsSafe® Dog Park located at Duke Park. Each park has a large and small dog area,waste bag dispensers as well as different additional amenities. The Small Dog areas are meant for dogs who are 15 inches or smaller and 30 pounds and under. The Large Dog areas are meant for dogs who are 15 inches or taller and 30 pounds and over. For those people who have dogs of multiple sizes or dogs that need a neutral space to meet new dogs, Piney Wood Dog Park offers 2 additional areas for dog park participants. The program area offers an open area for group interaction and meetings. This area is available on a first come first serve basis. There is also a large entry area between the front entrance and the large dog area that allows owners to introduce new dogs to each other. Use...

On Saturday, January 12, 2019, the W.D. Hill Recreation Center will be hosting the 8th Annual “MLK: Remembering the Legacy Through the Arts” event from 2 p.m. - 5 p.m. at 1308 Fayetteville Street, Durham, NC. During this event, the community will get a chance to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s legacy through various forms of art and discussion. The event will include visual art displays from local artists, community discussion, poetry open mic, live performances from groups around the Triangle, and arts and crafts. Attendees will also have the opportunity to talk with a host of community organizations that may interest them. This event is free and open to the public - all ages are welcome to attend. In previous years, this event has featured the North Carolina Central Jazz Department, Stand Up/Speak Out (Poetry), and Empower Dance Studio and was attended by over 250 members of the community. This is an event you definitely do not want to miss out on! Meet fellow members of your co...