Spring_Summer 2023

To The Citizens of Christiansburg Are you looking to spruce up your home as the winter season ends? Join us December 3 for the Lions Club Holiday Craft Show at the Christiansburg Recreation Center. There will be many vendors available that will provide you with many items to make your house into a home. There are also many opportunities to enjoy the outdoors– whether it be a cool, brisk walk along the Huckleberry Trail, playing at one of our nine Town parks or attending Christmas on Main with the highlight being the annual Christmas parade on December 9 in downtown Christiansburg. Winter Wonderland is also a must see this year on December 10 at the Christiansburg Recreation Center. You will enter through a forest of Christmas Trees and enjoy snowflakes falling from the sky. We will have a visit from Santa Claus, Ms. Claus and everyone will enjoy hot chocolate, cookies and the reindeer games while singing and laughing the whole evening. The Christiansburg Parks and Recreation Department promotes and implements leisure programs and services tha enhance the quality of life of all ages. In partnership with our community, we strive to deliver programming in a personal, effective, and innovative manner. I am excited to spend this winter session here with you, in the Town of Christiansburg. I look forward to maintaining the recreational opportunities we currently offer, while also looking at ways we can better serve you and enhance your experiences in the future. The Christiansburg Huckleberry Park is well on its way to completion. We look forward to unveiling these recreational amenities in the Spring of 2023. We continue to strive for Christiansburg to be a recreational destination and the place to be! Dear Friends and Neighbors: T e wint r winds are exiting our area and the sight of colorful flowers are bursting through the mulch, he chirping f the spring peepers and the D gwood trees showing theirbeautiful blooms indicate that spring is in the air. This is the perfect time to enjoy the recreational opportunities the Townof Christiansburg has to offer! As we look forward to warmer and longer days this spring and summer it is important to remember that the Christiansburg Parks and Recreation Department exists to promote and implement leisure pr grams and services that enhance the quality of life for ll ages. In partnership with the community, we strive to deliver quality leisure programs in a personal, effective, and successful manner. We serve you, the residents of Christiansburg and our visiting neighbors, to provide a positive experience while growing and building our special community. As you read through the brochure, youwill findmany recreational opportunities available for you and your family. We offer several outdoor adventures, fromhearing the crack of the bat at Harkrader Sports C mpl x, to enjoying family time at our parks and playgrounds, to visiting the Farmer’s Market in in its temporary location of the Christiansburg Recreation Center front parking lot, to witnessing the sights and sounds of nature’s beauty while walking along the Huckleberry Trail, which also leads to the doors of the Christiansburg Recreation Center. Do you need a more structured environment to meet your health needs? Join us indoors at the Christiansburg Recreation Center for our many community fitness programs, various educational classes and health screenings. Exercise is a very important part of a healthy lifestyle, so be sure to exercise in our cardiovascular and weight rooms or simply take a nice stroll on the 1/8-mile indoor track. Are you over the age of 50? Come and enjoy our seniors lounge, billiards roomand covered pa io. There aremanywonderful Senior Cen er activities and vents for you to pa take in as well. Looking for some exciting summer events? Please join our community as we celebrate several downtown events such as the Rockin Main Concert Series along with the Annual Fourth of July Celebration. The Fourth of July event will be filled with exciting outdoor festivities and vendors located in the downtown area. We will have our annual epic fireworks demonstration that evening on the Christiansburg Huckleberry Park property, with parking at the Uptown Christiansburg Mall and Walmart. Speaking f the Christiansburg Huckleberry Park, the xcavation and construc ion is windi g down and we re gettin closer t a summer opening. We are so excited to bring the special amenities of the park to each of you. There will be something for almost everyone. The Harkrader Sports Complex will be the host site for many baseball and softball events this summer season. We have been selected as the Cal Ripken 12U State Baseball Tournament host site as well. We have a full slate of summer camps again this year as we work closely with C ristiansburg High School coaches to provide a great developmental system for our programs that will benefit or student athletes and Christiansburg for years to come. Would you like to partake in an international athletic experience? We are happy to be the host of the BrazilianUnited Soccer Academy Camp as their instructorswill teach the game of soccer through Brazilian techniques and strategieswhile also educating campers on life in Brazil. As you can see, there is a little something offered for everyone. I am excited to be entering my 11 th spring here with you in the Town of Christiansburg. I feel like over the past 11 years we have made many great strides with our recreational opportunities, programs, and facilities. We are looking forward to continuing these successeswith our recreational services, programs, and facilities for each of you. The opening of the Christiansburg Huckleberry Park will be a game changer for the Town of Christiansburg in the world of parks, recreation, inclusivity, and sports tourism. The recreational resources and opportunities that we have in Christiansburg currently and while adding the Christiansburg Huckleberry Park it will burst our small-town Christiansburg, Virginia into the national scene as a leader in the parks and recreation world. I feel our staff’s vision with our programs a d amenities will provide a very positive impact for many future years to come and we will continue to be recognized with the title of “The ONLY Place to Play – Christiansburg, Virginia.” Best wishes to each of you during the holiday season! Sincerely yours,

Best wishes to each of you for a bright, active, healthy, and beautiful spring and summer.

Sincerely yours, B. T. Epperley Brad Epperley Director of Parks and Recreation

Brad Epperley Director of Parks and Recreation

PROFESSIONAL STAFF

PARKS&RECREATIONADVISORY COMMISSION

Professional Staff........................................................................................Phone: (540) 382-2349 Brad Epperley............................................................................. Director of Parks and Recreation Michelle Trussell.................................................................. Parks and Recreation Office Manager Morgan Fenton.....................................................................................Administrative Specialist II Charlton McCoy.......................................................... Assistant Director of Programs and Events Erin Ruyle.................................................................... Assistant Director of Operations and Parks Pam Peyton. ......................................................................... Supervisor of Community Programs Tammy Caldwell.....................................Supervisor of Senior and Special Population Programs Nick Yopp............................................................ Supervisor of Camps, Tournaments and Master Scheduler of Facilities Brian Lambert. .................................................Supervisor of Adult Athletics and Teen Programs Caleb Dunlea.....................................................................Supervisor of Youth Athletic Programs Rachel Vinson...................................................................................................Events Coordinator Austin Gilmore........................................ Assistant Event Coordinator/Farmer’s Market Manager Darren Graham............................................................................................... Athletic Coordinator Ryan Hubble.............................................................................. Recreation Facilities Coordinator Joe Oley..........................................................................................Customer Service Coordinator Forest Redd. ..............................................................................Outdoor Facility Crew Supervisor JimWhetzel................................................................................................................. Crew Leader Dylan Vest.................................................................................................................... Crew Leader Brandon Decker. ......................................................................................................... Crew Leader Isaac Ritenour. ...................................................................................... Park Maintenance Worker Wil Oldham.................................................................................................. Building Maintenance Shawn Stump.............................................................................................. Building Maintenance Linn Feggeler................................................................................. Part-time Recreation Assistant Dru Yopp........................................................................................ Part-time Recreation Assistant Annie Fentress............................................................................... Part-time Recreation Assistant Alan Johnson. ............................................................................... Part-time Recreation Assistant

Diane C. Fenton, Chairperson Henry Showalter, Town Council Liaison Michael L. Saylors Reba Smart James B. Williamson, Jr Robin L. Boyd Kathy Meadows John T. Neel Lawson Mecom (Student Representative) Emma Britt (Student Representative)

TOWN COUNCIL

D. Michael Barber.....................................................................Mayor Samuel M. Bishop Timothy Wilson Casey Jenkins Henry D. Showalter Tanya Hockett Johana Hicks Randy Wingfield. ........................................................Town Manager

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