Long Branch Community Recreation Center to Reopen with a Fresh Look and Dynamic Programming on Monday, May 16

For Immediate Release: Friday, May 13, 2022

The Long Branch Community Recreation and Senior Center, located at 8700 Piney Branch Road in Silver Spring, will reopen on Monday, May 16.

During the COVID-19 emergency the Long Branch Community Recreation Center and Senior Center served as a shelter for community members who needed safe lodging and basic services. The opening of the new Nebel Street Shelter in March made it possible to begin reopening plans for the recreation and senior center. The center has new paint throughout, restored gym floors, and fresh landscaping.

“The reopening of the Long Branch Community Recreation and Senior Center makes it possible for the center to once again be a place for young people, families, and older adults to spend their leisure time,” said Montgomery County Recreation Director Robin Riley. “We have been working behind the scenes, with the Department of General Services, to have a refreshed facility that is beautifully landscaped with high-quality recreation programming for everyone.”

There will be free and affordable programing offered for adults, youth, and families. That will include sports clinics, cooking classes, fitness, martial arts, and futsal. The Center will introduce the Long Branch Soccer Futsal Academy to provide weekly skills training for youth 5 – 17 years old. Participants will be challenged at an appropriate level and will receive information on how to improve their game.

A special reopening event will take place on Saturday, May 21. The free celebration will include dancing, music, food, inflatables, face painting, games, and more.

Long Branch will offer the Summer Fun Center in partnership with Strathmore and Adventist Services. The program will offer seven weeks of fun and enriching programing.

The Senior Center will celebrate the reopening with a special week of events from June 6 to 10. The weeklong celebration will include free lessons on how to use the exercise equipment, open information sessions to sign up for the senior lunch program, musical entertainment, and daily specialty coffee with breakfast treats. Scheduled daily activities will include fitness and wellness classes like yoga, pickleball, table tennis, and Tai chi, with teachers from diverse cultural backgrounds. Additionally, the Senior Center will provide mini-trips, writing, drawing and a Fourth of July holiday barbeque. There will even be a summer camp program offered for older adults.

Regular operating hours for the Community Recreation Center will be 

• Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.
• Saturday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

The normal hours for the Senior Center will be Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Community members 55 and older can access the facility free of charge. 

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Release ID: 22-288
Media Contact: Monika Hammer 240-463-2442