Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country
Founded 05-05-05

Buckeye Recreation Center Celebrates First Anniversary

Story by Ron Fitzwater

The Town of Beech Mountain celebrated the first anniversary of the Buckeye Recreation Center Tuesday with an old-fashioned covered dish supper. Town residents gathered in the center’s multipurpose room to talk and enjoy an array of home-cooked favorites.

Craig Colistra, recreation director, reflected on the first year in operation. “We had a great and successful year and we wanted to get together and recognize the hard work that has been done and the future we are looking forward to.” According to Colistra membership has grown at a steady pace since the opening and is quickly approaching the 1,000-member mark. “For our first year that was great; it exceeded a lot of our expectations,” Colistra said.

The center offers many services to the public, including indoor basketball and tennis courts, an indoor children’s playground, a multipurpose room, outdoor ball field and tennis courts and a fitness room.

Memberships are not limited to residents of Beech Mountain. “Anyone can join,” said Colistra. “The cost for membership is $150 per year per family and $75 per year per individual for Beech Mountain taxpayers. Non-taxpayer memberships cost $300 per year per family and $150 per year per individual. Daily usage fees depend on the activity but range from $2 to $10.”

Every other Friday night is kids’ night. Kids can watch a movie, play in the recreation areas and enjoy a pizza party for $5.

Anyone interested in more information or scheduling services can call 828-387-3003.

Upcoming Events at Buckeye Recreation Center

Upcoming events at the recreation center include summer day camp, basketball camp and a dog show.

Summer Day Camp

The Town of Beech Mountain’s Summer Day Camp will take place in two sessions July 11 to 13 and July 16 to 20. The camp is for children ages 5 to 12 and is open to residents and nonresidents. Sport activities and games that encourage teamwork, friendship building and physical and social development will be the basis of the program.

The cost of the camp is $125 per week and early registration is encouraged, as only 40 openings are available.

Buckeye Basketball Camp

The Town of Beech Mountain’s Buckeye Basketball Camp is designed to enhance the skills of incoming 2nd to 9th graders through games, drills and scrimmages. The camp will operate from July 23 to 27 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The camp is open to all skill levels and will be run by Coach Kirk Stewart formerly of ECU. The cost of the camp is $50 for the week.

Dog Show

In conjunction with Friends for Life, the center will host a dog show on July 21. All dogs are welcome to compete. Additional information will be available soon.

Monthly Offerings

In addition to special events Buckeye Recreation Center offers an array of weekly classes in, aerobics, spinning, yoga, pilates and martial arts.

For the latest camp and class information, call 828-387-3003.