Following the recent completion of the Town of Manchester’s new Parks and Facilities Master Plan, organizers are moving into the next phase of communicating the plan to Manchester residents.

The Master Plan outlines how to further develop future parks, trails, open space, and recreational areas so as to meet the needs of the community while also investing in the town’s economic and cultural value.

In 2018, the increasing need for inclusion and community engagement for marginalized members of the Manchester community sparked the beginnings of a new initiative that will finally come to fruition this fall.

As summer turns into fall, the Department of Leisure, Family, and Recreation has many exciting programs and events planned for the Manchester community.

It’s a Friday night and you’re looking for something to eat-where do you go? You’re building a birdhouse and need some more nails-where can you get them? You’ve washed a shirt too many times and need to buy a new one-who has you covered? The answer is surprisingly the same for all of these questions: your favorite local business.

After a successful Spruce Street Farmers Market season, the Northwest Park Farmers Market is set to kick off its inaugural season on Wednesday, August 18 from 4:30-7:30 PM.

On Wednesday, June 2, 2021, under a sunny early evening sky, about 50 people including lots of local dignitaries gathered on the lawn in front of Buckley Elementary School for a groundbreaking ceremony signaling the start of an approximately $28 million renovation project that will make Buckley the first ‘net zero energy’ public school building in the state.

Now embarking on its 56th year, Camp Kennedy is set to return to the Town of Manchester for the upcoming summer season.

The Department of Recreation, Leisure, and Families will be displaying a traveling exhibit on loan from the Connecticut Historical Society detailing the state’s long and often overlooked history of LGBTQ+ residents and the ongoing fight for equality.

As the hot weather arrives and the summer approaches, the pools begin to open. Manchester is no stranger to having an exciting and accessible pool program so everyone has the chance to cool down on the hot summer days. Read More!

From June 18-20, the Town of Manchester’s Department of Leisure, Family and Recreation, in collaboration with several community partners, will host the inaugural Juneteenth Freedom Day Commemoration. The weekend will include mural unveilings, an art opening, a black-owned food & vendor market, a three-on-three youth basketball tournament, family activities, live music and much more.

A new phase of murals will be installed at Mahoney Center, one of which will feature the Director of Equity and Adult Education at Manchester Adult and Continuing Ed., Dr. Diane Clare-Kearney.

There comes a time when you see where you are and you wonder how you got there.

As of April, around 40% of Connecticut’s population has received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine, with a total of 2.5 million doses administered. This impressive number marks a hopeful turning point and many are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel of this unprecedented past year. Surviving such a difficult year and reaching this point is cause for all of us to reflect on just how far we’ve come.

In a world where it’s hard to find moments of joy and positivity, Project Happyvism uses multiple ways to create smiles.

On Saturday, April 24, volunteers, subcontractors, community partners, and neighbors will partner with Rebuilding Together Manchester to clean up yards, organize outdoor materials, and paint decks of local home sites.

Beginning June 1, the Town will prohibit individuals from “[feeding] any wildlife on a regular or continuous basis” on private, town-owned & public property. Read more.

This upcoming summer, the Manchester Country Club in collaboration with the Town of Manchester’s Department of Leisure, Family, and Recreation will be offering a new opportunity for local parents or guardians and their children to learn golf while relationship-building and establishing a life-long activity they can share together.

Warmer weather is on the horizon and with it comes the opportunity to get outside and take advantage of the fresh air. This past year during the pandemic in particular, people have been heading to the outdoors as a safe way to exercise and participate in fun activities with others.

Collectively, the world has felt the devastating impacts that have been caused by COVID-19. From hospitals running out of space to treat patients to families having to navigate the world in the wake of losing loved ones, the wreckage from this pandemic will haunt us for years to come. Read More.

This is the third entry in a three-part series entitled How a Pandemic Changed Learning, which is focused on how COVID-19 has impacted local schools and how the affected have adapted to overcome new challenges. The series will focus on three of the most heavily-impacted groups in our schools: teachers, students & their parents. Read More!

Following the summer of 2020, which was one of the most socially-active years ever documented in the history of the United States, people’s desire to help marginalized communities expanded tremendously. The whole nation was looking to support black-owned businesses, which was evident through Google’s reported 7000% increase in the search category “black-owned” from 2019.

This is the second entry in a three-part series entitled How a Pandemic Changed Learning, which is focused on how COVID-19 has impacted local schools and how the affected have adapted to overcome new challenges. The series will focus on three of the most heavily-impacted groups in our schools: teachers, students & their parents.

The recently painted ‘Birthing a Legacy’ Mural at Manchester’s Mahoney Center has been catching the attention of people across the state. On this past Martin Luther King Jr. Day, news stations flocked to see the beautiful, complete mural after a weekend of hard work and late nights by artist Ben Keller.

As a part of the Town’s collaboration with consulting company BerryDunn in the development of the new Parks & Facilities Master Plan, a survey was recently administered to Manchester residents by the ETC Institute.

During an average school year, teaching can be difficult enough. Even in the best of times, teaching is full of early mornings, scrambling to manage dozens of hormonal students and long weekends packed with grading coursework. It is a job that is uniformly underappreciated, as society often fails to acknowledge the many sacrifices that teachers make to provide a quality education.

Volunteerism has been a historic part of American civic life, offering a way for people to reach out and serve others, helping to strengthen and build important ties across communities.

The first true nor’easter snow storm of the season has already come and gone, leaving behind nearly a foot of snow and a chill in the air. While snowfall in Manchester brings many fun opportunities for children to break out their snowsuits and sleds, snow storms also come with a wide range of risks both at home and out on the roads.

With the start of the December month, 2020 is beginning to come to a close and 2021 is on the horizon. After the seemingly insurmountable challenges culminating this year, 2021 stands as a beacon of hope and as a fresh start for many.

The Spruce Street Community Garden was a vision of local professional gardener, Bettylou Sandy, who was seeking to create a place of peace and quiet on the busy street in the center of Manchester. Continue Reading!

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on communities throughout the globe, but one demographic in particular has been hit the hardest. According to the CDC, the risk for severe illness from COVID-19 increases with age with older adults at highest risk.

Halloween. The spooky and fun-filled autumn holiday comes once a year, and this time round it comes with a whole lot of questions. Children and families all across the country who celebrate Halloween have been left wondering how to do so during a pandemic or if there are even any options for celebrating safely.

Calling all those who enjoy trick or treating and care about the future of the Manchester community! On Saturday, October 24th from 9:00-11:00 AM the Department of Leisure, Family and Recreation will be hosting Trick or Treat for Our Parks, an event taking place across town at four separate locations.

As the leaves start to change color and temperatures begin to drop, many people begin heading indoors and turning on their heaters for the first time this fall season. Fire Prevention Week comes at such a crucial time, taking place each October.

After all of the ups and downs of 2020, it is difficult to even begin to imagine what the future will look like, let alone plan for it. While present challenges deserve attention, envisioning the future and taking steps toward that vision is essential to maintaining hope and building a better community for future generations. Read More!

On Saturday, October 3, 2020 the Manchester Rotary Club will be hosting Rotary in Motion, a community outing for people of all abilities, in addition to the celebration of the long-anticipated dedication of the Michael B. Lynch Memorial Pavilion at Charter Oak Park.