Marple Newtown Recreation's Rich Ehnow

The Facility of Marple Newtown Recreation Commission

Written by Craig Whitney

Rich Ehnow has been a part of the Marple Newtown Joint Recreation Commission for over 20 years and has helped provide physical and educational opportunities to members of the Marple Newtown community. The programs and activities that are organized by the Recreation Commission have given the people of Marple Newtown a great opportunity to have fun, get active, and make new friends in their own town.

Children in the community can join teams in many different sports and try a number of summer camps, while the adults can take classes such as yoga, fitness training and academic studies. Nearly all activities are held in the Gauntlett Community Center, a large building with a gymnasium, classrooms, and multi-purpose rooms for larger athletic classes and activities.

The Joint Recreation Commission first started in the early 1970s, as Marple Newtown was growing rapidly and was in high demand for organized athletics and activities that could bring the community together.

Facility Staff from left to right: Amber Maslo, Rich Ehnow, and Tracey Dudek

Rich Ehnow first joined in 1992, becoming the director in 1994. Alongside Ehnow are many important people to the organization such as Tracey Dudek, the director of the highly popular child care center known as Kid Stop. Amber Maslo is the administrative assistant, instrumental in the daily operation of the organization. In addition to this core trio are many full-time and part-time employees, volunteers, and class instructors.

“I like the people I work with, what we do. " Rich explained enthusiastically. "I like working with the people and for the people.”

Despite the recent growth in popularity, the recreation department in Marple Newtown may surprise many. There are people that speak to Rich and are shocked to find that this type of organization exists in Marple Newtown. The basketball league has roughly 700 players each season, and Kid Stop is always very popular year-round, but there are still more classes and leagues that people do not know about.

“We’re always telling somebody new that we’re here, that we’re an opportunity for the community to have fun and do something together, maybe meet some new Marple families,” Rich said.

All of the detailed information on programs and activities can be found at www.MNRecreation.com. After finding the program you want, you can register for it online as well.