By Amanda Amsel
Staff Writer
As the holidays ramp up the Prairie Township Community Center will be hosting a variety of events.
The center will kick-off the holidays with a tree lighting ceremony from 6 to 9 p.m. on Dec. 6 and the Prairie Township Community Center, 5955 W. Broad St.
“Santa will be there, as well as ice carvers,” said James Gant, director of the Prairie Township Community Center. “We also will be doing an elf on the shelf activity with local businesses.”
The elf on the shelf activity will be a collaboration with the center and area businesses.
Participants will have to go to different businesses and find the elf on the shelf. Once they find the elf, they have to post photos on social media and get a signature from the business. Once they find the elves and get signatures they will be entered into a drawing to win a bicycle.
Beside the holiday activities, the center also will be kicking off a variety of new classes throughout the fall and winter.
“We have new fitness classes for adults and new classes for children,” Gant said.
Some of these new classes include a gym and swim class where children can play in the gym and then swim in the pool after.
“We also recently had a fitness demonstration where people could try out some classes for 15 minutes and see what they like,” Gant said. “You didn’t have to be a member of the center to participate in this and we plan to do this again later this year or early next year.”
The center recently created OSU fitness classes during away games. During these family-friendly classes, participants do football themed fitness routines in an effort to exercise like the professionals.
The center also started an introduction to sports class for preschools in which children 3 to 6 years old learn the basics of soccer, baseball and tee-ball. According to Gant, the purpose of the class is to teach the children basic coordination.
“All these classes are really helping us get the word out about the center,” Gant said. “In fact, we have close to 2,800 members and we have only been open a few months. Our goal was to have 2,500 to 3,000 in our first year, so we have already met that goal.”
Gant said long term they hope to have between 6,000 and 8,000 members.
For more information on the Prairie Township Community Center, visit www.prairietownship.org.
