Business of the Week: Forks Township Community Center

On June 28, the Forks Township Parks and Recreation Department launches a new website.

“[The website] has everything we do here… for youths, adults and seniors,” said Matthew Carfagno, Forks Township Recreation Manager. “It’s very thorough.”

A quick perusal of the site shows the Community Center offers a variety of recreational programs for all ages, from toddlers to seniors.

For children, there are gymnastics, martial arts, tennis, preschool, Art Summer Camp and more. Adults can choose from yoga, zumba, jazzercise, massage and a fully outfitted fitness center.

Most of this is the expected fare for a community center. However, the center comes through with a few unique programs that might pique some local interest.

--The Dog & Cat First Aid program, put on by the American Red Cross, which teaches pet owners first aid for both common ailments and emergency situations. The four-hour class also covers health and wellness awareness of animals.

--The Baby Sitter Training program, new this year at the center, teaches children ages 11 to 15 about childcare, discipline issues and, most important, basic first aid.

--The “Solecitos” program is a parent-child Spanish class that uses interactive games and vocabulary-building songs. “Solecitos” starts at the end of July and is currently accepting registration.

And there’s a whole lot more. All of the programs, along with their available times, cost and registration information can be found on the center’s new website.

The center itself is comprised of three gymnasiums, five meeting rooms, a snack area and the fitness area. The original center was built in 1995; an addition in 2003 supplemented the building with two more gymnasiums and brought the total square footage up to roughly 41,000.

The fitness area room is in a wide space decked in the Forks colors of maroon and white. The equipment available includes treadmills, ellipticals, stationary bikes and free weights. Membership to the fitness room is open to anyone 18 and older, and cost is based on residency.  

Four of the conference rooms are available for rent, with capacities ranging from 33 people up to 160. The three gyms, each with a capacity of around 1,100, can be rented for special events, team practices and sports games.

Open gym times are available during off-peak hours, which are posted daily at the center. Right now, the summer basketball league is going on; it uses the Forks gyms for practices and games.

“We run the summer basketball league… there’s over 100 teams,” said Carfagno. “It’s one of the largest in the state.”

Also happening this summer is the Little Star Camp, a once-a-week day camp experience for children ages 3 to 7.

The Little Star Camp is one of the programs put on by Little Star Studio, a children’s program that integrates musical instruments with other developmental interests, such as arts and crafts, gymnastics and preschool concepts.

Desiree Kratzer, a Forks resident, runs Little Star Studio. She brought the program to the center 11 years ago this September.

“The community center is so beautiful, it’s so clean… it’s a great place to have children’s programs, and a great facility,” said Kratzer.

Most of the Little Star student programs, with the exception of Little Star Camp, are parent-child classes, from toddlers up to age four-and-a-half, and all of the programs are available at the center. “The community center lets me run my programs the way I want to; they don’t have all these strict rules,” said Kratzer. “I’m able to set one price for all families. At other centers, they might want you to pay more if you don’t live in the community.”

The center is at 500 Zucksville Road and is open Monday through Friday, 6:30am to 10pm, and weekends, 7:30am to 6pm. See all of the programs and events, along with descriptions and registration details, at http://www.forkstownship.org.