By Heather Chapman

The Town of Kernersville Parks and Recreation Department wants your feedback as we begin the process of updating our current Parks and Recreation Master Plan for the Town of Kernersville. The purpose of this plan is to serve as a comprehensive long-range document that maps out the needs/wants for existing and future parks, recreation facilities, programs, operations, green-ways, and funding for its citizens. The community is invited to weigh in on important matters as we look ahead to the next ten years.

We are excited to host again the Adaptive Cycling Clinic in Fourth of July Park on Saturday, April 27 from 11:00am -1:00pm. We will have a variety of adaptive cycles for people with and without disabilities to try. Everyone will get an opportunity to take a short ride around the park. There will be trained staff on-site and all adaptive equipment will be provided. This event is FREE, but registration is required and is now open on our website at www.kvparks.com. For details about the event or questions, contact Emily Crisco at 336-564-2241.

The department is hosting “Kernersville’s Big Deal, Big Wheel,” event on Saturday, April 20 from 11:00am – 3:00pm at Fourth of July Park. Take part in an adult big wheel race to the finish line and re-live your childhood. There will be four racing categories: Novice, Teen, Masters, and Grand Masters. This is a family event and ages 6 and up can participate in races. Spend an afternoon in the park with food trucks, ice cream, and yard games, beer and wine will also be sold. Be sure to stop by the Parks and Recreation booth to take a part in the quick Master Plan survey! Let us know your ideas and what you want to see for the future in parks and recreation! To participate in the drag race, you must pre-register at www.kvparks.com. For questions about this event, you may contact the Parks and Recreation Department at 336-996-3062.

We are excited to host our Mother/Son event again this year on Friday, May 10. We are still gathering details for the event, to stay up to date with ticket information, details, and time slots visit www.kvparks.com or our Facebook page.

Last week, the Recreation Department received an unexpected early Christmas gift, The Kernersville Recreation + Event Center looks to be completed by this August, pending the passing of an inspection and certificate of occupancy! Pending any issues, the completion date will then move to October. The department plans to use the last several months of the year to move in, organize programming schedules, and learn the flow of the building. The building will open to the general public in December 2024 and a full schedule of programming will begin in January! Still have questions about the building? We are here to help with that. The new Recreation Center will be open to the community and will not require a membership. The department will continue to operate with the same “pay as you go” format for programming opportunities seasonally. There will not be any workout rooms in this building. The existing rooms have been designated for fitness, multi-purpose, and classroom opportunities. There will be an indoor walking track with weekly set hours as well as open gym play. The most recent building updates include parking lot curbing, first floor drywall, and upstairs framing. It is estimated the entire building will be enclosed in the next 6 weeks, pending weather. Continue to follow us for updates as we plan to have a Grand Opening party in December with more details to come!