BY KADIE TAYLOR
THE OBSERVER
LEE COUNTY — For community members looking to pursue a new hobby, athletic activity or engage in seasonal events, Opelika and Auburn Parks and Recreation, respectively, offer a variety of programs and events for locals, and have each released their spring brochures.
Auburn Parks and
Recreation
Public Relations Specialist, Abaigh Brennan, said Auburn Parks and Recreation saw growth across a variety of programs in 2025 and there are many activities community members can look forward to in 2026.
“We added several programs throughout all of our seasons this year,” she said. “We saw an exponential growth in the number of girls participating in youth sports. Our girls’ flag football program was very successful this year, and we’re looking forward to expanding that in the years to come. We’re always looking to add new classes throughout the years.”
Alongside athletic activities, Brennan said there are many programs for those interested in learning a new artistic skill.
“We have a great art program,” she said. “We have everything that you can think of — we have dance classes, theater, painting, sketching and drawing. We have an open studio class so artists can come together and create art, no matter what level they are; all are welcome. We have a huge ceramics program where you can enroll in workshops, or you can apply to be a part of our independent ceramic studio, where you have free hours to come in and work on either hand-throwing or on our wheels. We have some basket weaving, a fiber arts class, oil painting and a new sustainable sewing class… There are lots of options during every season for people of all ages.”
With a variety of programs that help create community for senior adults and children, Brennan said Auburn Parks and Rec is working to cultivate a space of community for adults as well.
“We also just started a new program called the 19 to 49 social club, so that’s specifically targeted towards people in the 19 to 49 age group,” she said. “There’ll be events for them — we have a cookbook club, bingo and we’re looking into new events to get people involved. And then we have our children’s programs, our youth programs and specific programs just for preschoolers and toddlers.”
With seasonal brochures for spring, summer and fall, Brennan said the brochures usually release a month before registration begins.
“Inside the brochure, you can find all of our registration guidelines and where to register, as well as descriptions, dates and times for each of our programs and what we are offering, as well as our special events,” she said. “Auburn Parks and Rec has something for everyone. We have facilities all across the city that offer multiple things. You can join our programs, you can get your kids involved in sports or if it’s just you — and you’re an adult — there are plenty of activities that we offer that are fun, inviting and engaging for everyone.”
For more information, visit www.auburnal.gov/parks.
Opelika Parks and
Recreation
As locals work to meet their health and fitness goals, or look to learn a new hobby, Public Relations Coordinator Laura Leigh Chesser said Opelika Parks and Recreation has options for everyone.
“No matter who you are, your activity level, your experience level or your interest — we have something that you can do here — whether it’s basketball, swimming, a traditional weight room, cardio equipment, group fitness classes, pickleball or disc golf,” she said. “Opelika puts a very high emphasis on the health and wellness of our citizens, and tries to make it so that everybody in Opelika can participate and enjoy recreating in Opelika.”
For activities and fun, Chesser said there are many options throughout the year for locals to enjoy Opelika Parks and Rec and find an event that interests them.
“We’ve got three different Valentine’s dances, and we’re going to be hosting some of the Alabama Senior Olympics events,” she said. “We’ll have three different egg hunts, and spring is also when we get into some of our spring sports, which include baseball, softball, track and field and soccer. We are super busy in summer — we’ve got day camps going on, we have summer sports like T-ball and summer tennis. Then we have several summer events such as the Noon Tunes Concert Series, Summer Swing Concert Series. We have a July 4 Freedom Celebration… Then in the fall, we have several different Halloween events. Fall is also big for sports; we do football, fall soccer and fall baseball.”
Chesser said that through the support of the city of Opelika, Opelika Parks and Rec is able to provide affordable options to locals to ensure health and wellness are accessible.
“We are really lucky in Opelika that the city leadership really puts an emphasis on recreation and allows us to provide low-cost programs and events that really make it so that a financial situation is not a barrier for participation,” she said. “All of our sports are extremely low-cost. Most of our events are free — and if they’re not free, they’re incredibly low cost. It really allows everybody in the community to come out, participate, recreate and gather with one another.”
To explore seasonal offerings, Chesser said Opelika Parks and Rec provides three “Park Bench” issues a year, one for winter/spring, summer and fall.
“It has every activity, program and event that we offer,” she said. “So if you’re just looking for everything that we offer, that’s a good place to start. We are really active on Facebook and Instagram. We try to post several reminders about registration for each event, and so if you want reminders about what’s coming up, I highly recommend following our social media pages, because we post on those regularly.”
For more information, visit www.opelika-al.gov/913/Parks-Recreation.
