Community Happenings

FAMILY FIRST NIGHTS

AGES: Open to all families TIME: 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

J. Ray Shute Center

DAY: 1st Thursday of every month

Sutton Park Center

DAY: 2nd Thursday of every month

Winchester Center

DAY: 3rd Thursday of every month

Old Armory Center

DAY: 4th Thursday of every month Bring the entire family for fun activities, pizza, movies and so much more! Meet your neighbors and enjoy all our community centers have to offer. Spend some quality time with your family and friends every Thursday night! Visit all of our facilities for a night filled with fun!!!

SUMMER NIGHT LIGHTS

Winchester

DATE: 1st and 3rd Tuesdays; June – August TIME: 9 pm – 11 pm

Sutton Park

DATE: 1st and 3rd Wednesdays; June – August TIME: 9 pm – 11 pm

J. Ray Shute

DATE: 1st and 3rd Thursdays; June – August TIME: 9 pm – 11 pm Summer nights are perfect for spending time with friends! We have tons of stuff going on at all of our Community Center on select nights during the Summer. Whether you like basketball, video games, music or games, we have it. Grab your buddies and come spend some time with us; the fun is waiting for you! Offered in partnership with the City of Monroe Police Department.

J. RAY SHUTE CENTER

CANDLE MAKING WORKSHOP

AGES: All families welcome DATE: 4/26, 5/24, 6/23, 7/28 TIME: 6:00 – 7:00 pm FEE: FREE Learn a new hobby at the J. Ray Shute Community Center as we take wax and oils and turn them into fragrant masterpieces. Perfect for a gift for your favorite people!

HEALTHY EARTH AND HEALTHY BODY

AGES: All families welcome DATES: 5/3, 6/7, 7/12, 8/2 TIME: 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm In collaboration with North Carolina Agricultural Extension, we will celebrate how keeping the earth healthy helps in keeping you healthy. Learn about how much the earth can provide and how fun it can be to grow your own food to share with your family and friends.

J. RAY SHUTE BUNNY TRAIL

AGES: All families welcome DATE: Thursday, 4/7 TIME: 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm The Easter Bunny will make his way through the J. Ray Shute Center leaving all kinds of surprises behind. Gather your friends and family and find as many surprises as you can. We will have games, activities, food and more waiting for you while you search for the awesome surprises the Easter Bunny left behind.

PAINT AND PARTY

AGES: All families welcome DATES: 4/13, 5/11, 6/8, 7/6 TIME: 6:00 – 7:00 pm FEE: Free Inspire yourself, relieve some stress and have fun creating beautiful artwork with your friends.

FUN AND FRUGAL FAMILY TIME

DATES: 4/28, 5/26, 6/23, 7/20 TIME: 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm Family time is always fun, but let us let you in on some secrets to make family night a success without breaking the bank. Create your own board games or play some classic ones. This night is sure to spark fun conversation. Light refreshments will be served.

CINCO DE MAYO CELEBRATION

AGES: All families welcome DATE: Thursday, 5/5 T IME: 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm Cinco de Mayo celebrates Mexico’s victory at the Battle of Puebla in the Franco-American War in 1862. Since then, the 5th of May has been a day to celebrate Mexican heritage. We will have festive games, food and activities for your entire family to enjoy.

SCHOOLS OUT KICK OFF CELEBRATION

AGES: All families welcome DATE: Tuesday, 5/24 TIME: 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm Summer has officially begun! Kick off another great summer in Monroe at the J. Ray Shute Center! There is nothing better to celebrate the start of the Summer than an awesome Ice Cream Party! Celebrate another successful school year and reward yourself!

BEST DAD EVER – FATHER’S DAY PRESENT

AGES: All families welcome DATE: Thursday, 6/16 TIME: 4p – 5p FEE: Free Show your dad how much you appreciate him by creating a personalized hat, t-shirt or mug for Father’s Day. Please call to register by Thursday, 6/10.

WINCHESTER CENTER | SUTTON PARK CENTER | J. RAY SHUTE CENTER

BACK2SCHOOL BASH

AGES: 5 – 18 years old (Children must be accompanied by an adult) DATE: Saturday, 8/6 TIME: 10:00 am – 1:00 pm

In partnership with Volunteer 2 Serve and Give, Winchester, Sutton Park and the J. Ray Shute Centers are collaborating to provide our community with free back to school supplies. Fill your backpacks with school supplies and more while enjoying music, food and games!!! Visit each of these facilities to make sure you stock up on these important supplies. MONROENC.ORG/PARKSANDREC

ALL COMMUNITY HAPPENINGS EVENTS ARE FREE!!

OLD ARMORY CENTER

SPRINGTIME SMOOTHIES

AGES: All families welcome DATE: 4/12 TIME: 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm Eating healthy can be delicious! Join us at Old Armory Community Center and welcome the spring season with tasty, heart-healthy smoothies. Learn how healthy foods can be transformed into your favorite smoothie flavors.

PIZZA AND PORTRAITS

AGES: All families welcome DATE: Thursday, 4/21 TIME: 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm Tap into your creativity and enjoy some pizza while painting self-portraits. We have all you need to capture yourself on canvas! Be ready for fun and artistic night!

END OF SCHOOL YEAR CELEBRATION

AGES: 6 – 15 years old DATE: Tuesday, 5/24 TIME: 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm The Summer of 2020 is finally here, so relax and enjoy some well-deserved time off. Kick off your summer at the Old Armory Center and celebrate another successful year!

SUMMER CHILL

AGES: All families welcome DATE: Friday, 7/22 TIME: 3:30 pm – 5:30 pm Beat the heat at the Old Armory Center with free ice cream, games, music and much more! The entire family will have a chance to win door prizes, enjoy old fashioned ice cream and enjoy much needed family time. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

MONROENC.ORG/PARKSANDREC

ALL COMMUNITY HAPPENINGS EVENTS ARE FREE!

DICKERSON CENTER

EASTER EGG DYING

AGES: 5 and up DATE: Saturday, 4/2 TIME: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm Come to Dickerson for an EGG-cellent time dying and decorating Easter eggs. Eggs and dyes provided.

FAMILY FUN MOVIE NIGHT – MOANA

AGES: All families welcome DATE: Saturday, 5/7 TIME: 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm Join us for a fun movie night in at Dickerson. We will have plenty of popcorn for you and your family to enjoy.

SUMMER BLAST OFF PICNIC IN THE PARK

AGES: All families welcome DATE: Saturday, 6/4 TIME: 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm Welcome Summer with family and friends at an awesome picnic in the park with music, games, and much more!

PARENT’S NIGHT OUT

Dickerson Center

AGES: 5 – 12 DATES: April - July 4/1; register by 3/25 5/13; register by 5/6 6/3; register by 5/27 7/15; register by 7/8 TIME: 6:30 pm – 10:30 pm FEE: $8.00 Drop your kids off with us and enjoy a night out or just relax. Our staff will provide supervised activities including pizza, movies, and other fun gym games.

SUNDAES ON SUNDAY ICE CREAM SOCIAL

AGES: All families welcome DATE: Sunday, 7/10 TIME: 1:00pm – 2:00 pm Drop in and cool off for some yummy frozen masterpieces. Build your own sundae and make it your favorite treat!

BACK TO SCHOOL SPAGHETTI SOCIAL

AGES: All families welcome DATE: Friday, 8/19 TIME: 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm Getting ready to go back to school can get busy, so let us take care of dinner! We will have food, games, music, and more to help you relax before starting another successful school year!

SUTTON PARK CENTER

SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS

DATE: Friday, 4/8 TIME: 4p – 5p

Science is exciting! Join us as we dive into the world of science with fun and safe experiments. TIE DYE T-SHIRTS

AGES: All families welcome DATES: Saturday, 8/6 TIME: 12p – 2p Make a fashion statement with a new Tie-Dyed t-shirt. It’s easy and fun! Share your new design with your friends and family.

SPRING FLING

AGES: All families welcome DATE: Saturday, 5/14 TIME: 11:00 am – 2:00 pm Spring is in the air and the cold weather is behind us. Enjoy the beautiful weather with bounce houses, fun carnival games, food and much more! This is the FREE community event you have been waiting for!!

END OF SCHOOL PARTY

AGES: All families welcome DATE: Saturday, 6/18 TIME: 11:00 am – 2:00 pm Gather together with your family and friends to celebrate another successful school year. Sutton Park staff will be on hand to shower you with food, fun and games! Don’t miss it!

AFTERSCHOOL AT DICKERSON

AGES: 4 - 12, (4 year olds must be enrolled in a preschool program) DAY: Monday - Friday TIME: Afterschool - 6:30 pm FEE: $45.00/week ($5.00 discount per extra child)

Our staff picks up at these locations: Benton Heights, East, Walter Bickett, Walter Bickett Education Center, Sardis, Porter Ridge, Rocky River, Poplin, Union Academy’s Upper and Lower Schools.

This program offers a range of activities for children on a daily basis, and students can take advantage of homework assistance. Once homework is done, our staff and community partners coordinate fun and enriching activities such as gardening, fine arts, gym games, team building exercises, and much more! Full day camps for school breaks and workdays are available. Call Dickerson Community Center at 704-282-4649 for more information.

WINCHESTER CENTER

WINCHESTER COMMUNITY EASTER EGG STRUT

AGES: All ages are welcome DATE: Friday, 4/8 TIME: 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm Easter eggs were left EVERYWHERE by the Easter Bunny. You and your friends and family have to help us collect them all. Eggs are filled with prizes and candy! Be ready for games and activities for you and your family.

HEALTHY TOGETHER

AGES: All families welcome DATE: Saturday, 5/21 TIME: 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm Healthy lifestyles are easier when we work together and support each other. Join your friends and family for a heart healthy day. Begin your journey to good health with your community. Take advantage of tips from professionals, health screenings, exercise demonstrations, healthy snacks and much more! Presented in partnership with the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.

WINCHESTER COMMUNITY FUN DAY

AGES: All families welcome DATE: Saturday, 8/6 TIME: 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm Celebrate the diversity of Monroe! Join your friends and families and learn about the many cultures that make Monroe such a great place to live! Taste traditional food, make traditional jewelry and dance to traditional songs of different cultures!

WINCHESTER COMMUNITY CLEAN-UP

AGES: All families welcome DATE: Wednesday, 4/20 TIME: 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm Meet your neighbors at the Winchester Community Center to clean up your neighborhood as a community! Food, drinks and cleaning supplies will be provided. What a great way to take PRIDE in your community and celebrate Earth Day.