Fun For All Ages at Knobbs Creek Recreation Center
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Day in and day out‚ the Knobbs Creek Recreation Center is the most happening place in Elizabeth City. The 30-acre complex serves as the hub of activity for the Elizabeth City Parks and Recreation Department.
For older citizens‚ Knobbs Creek is home to the Elizabeth City/Pasquotank County Senior Center. An indoor recreation center also hosts a variety of athletic programs and community events. There is even a nine-hole‚ par-3 golf course on the property‚ plus playing fields and a playground.
“The place stays pretty busy‚” says Jim Overman‚ Elizabeth City’s parks and recreation director. “We try to appeal to as many people as possible.”
The senior center‚ jointly funded by the city and county‚ is reserved for citizens 55 and older. The 4‚400-square-foot facility opened in 1991 and includes a conference center‚ craft rooms‚ an exercise area‚ poolroom and lounge area. In addition to a full schedule of in-house activities‚ the senior center offers occasional trips to such places as Williamsburg and Norfolk‚ Va. Groups have even ventured as far away as New York City and Alaska.
Seniors aren’t the only ones getting special attention: The 15‚000-square-foot recreation center also has a gymnasium‚ clubrooms and a kitchen‚ as well as administrative offices. Activities such as volleyball‚ basketball‚ line dancing‚ aerobics‚ and arts and crafts take place on a daily basis.
“If there is a demand for something‚ we try to offer it‚” Overman says.
How much is the center in demand?
“We could fill up another recreation center with just basketball right now‚” Overman says‚ adding that long-range plans include a new facility.
Each October‚ Knobbs Creek hosts the Albemarle Craftsman’s Fair‚ one of the longest-running crafts fairs in the state. A few weeks later‚ the Elizabeth City Junior Women’s Club hosts the Mistletoe Show featuring about 60 artists and craftsmen.
The Parks and Recreation Department also has outdoor fields around the city to accommodate more than 50 teams in its baseball and softball leagues. Its most popular program‚ however‚ is youth soccer. About 450 players participate in spring and fall leagues‚ primarily at Northeastern Park. Volunteers run the league because‚ Overman says‚ “We don’t have the staff to do what they’re doing.”
Overman’s staff maintains 18 parks and neighborhood playgrounds in Elizabeth City. Eight of the parks have access to water‚ including two with boat ramps and one with a canoe launch.
At Causeway Park off the Camden Causeway‚ a boardwalk winds its way through wetlands along the banks of the Pasquotank River. Charles Creek Park on Riverside Avenue provides three acres for fishing‚ boating and picnicking.
Rounding out the city’s recreational offerings are the Chalk Street Tot Lot and Edgewood Tot Lot‚ designed for small children and neighborhood gatherings.
Story by Noel Neff
Photo by Greg Emens
