Group to host meet-and-greet event

Offering fun and family-friendly activities and promoting the community is the goal of the newly formed Christiana Parks and Recreation Committee.

To help local residents learn more about the organization, the committee will hold a meet-and-greet event on Saturday, Jan. 11, at 10 a.m. at the Christiana Borough Building, 10 W. Slokom Ave., Christiana. Anyone interested in learning more about the Parks and Recreation Committee as well as offering suggestions for events and activities is encouraged to attend. Refreshments will be provided.

Members of the committee will be on hand at the event, including Andy and Terry Buchanan, Dawn Tomlinson, Marlene Adams and Mona Hottenstein. "We are hoping that people come who want to be part of (the group)," said Terry. "We will talk about some of the things we want to do and some things other people might be interested in. It's a kickoff of introducing ourselves and starting conversations."

In order to form the new committee, members first had to approach borough council for approval. "We made a proposal to them at the Nov. 5 meeting," Kathy explained. "We asked to start a Parks and Rec Committee and be part of the borough. At the Dec. 3 meeting, they approved us."

The new committee has been considering many different ideas for Christiana, including holding events at the William P. Brinton House, which is the headquarters of the Christiana Historical Society. "We have great trick-or-treaters, but it would be fun to do a Halloween event with a Sleepy Hollow theme," Terry said. "We also hope to have summertime music concerts on the Brinton House property. These are tentative ideas. We want people to participate in the things we want to do."

The new committee also hopes to establish an easily accessible online calendar of events. "We are hoping to centralize on the Parks and Rec website all the activities and all of the town's information and make it simpler for people to find out what is going on," said Terry. "Having a place for central information about the activities will be nice."

Those with ideas are also invited to visit the committee's website at http://www.christianaparksandrec.com and choose "Survey." "We have a survey if people want to suggest things they're interested in," Terry noted. "They also have the option of giving information if they want to be part of the team."

Terry said that she and her husband moved to Christiana in 2021 but already have come to enjoy all that the town has to offer, including recreational activities and historical events. "I grew up in Parkesburg but came 'home' (to Christiana) in 2021," she said. "It is a combination of farms and town. It's a very interesting mix."

According to the website, the group members are "dedicated to building a strong sense of community through fun." "We just want to have events, have fun and create a community spirit," Terry shared. "We have tons of ideas for events, but we want to get everyone's input before we pick the things we want to do. I am excited about it. We can do a lot of fun things."

To learn more, visit the previously mentioned website or http://www.facebook.com/christianaparksandrec or follow the group on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram. Those with questions may email enjoylife@christianaparksandrec.com.