By the Public Communications Office
In this episode of “Stuff You Don’t Usually See,” Marketing Coordinator Grace Hallowell and Lincoln Recreation Center Supervisor Cheletia Johnson discuss the facility’s January event lineup to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday.
Transcript
Grace Hallowell:
Hello everyone. My name is Grace Hallowell with the City of College Station, and today I’m here with Cheletia Johnson, the Recreation Supervisor for our Lincoln Recreation and Community Center. Good morning.
Cheletia Johnson:
Good morning. How are you?
Grace Hallowell:
I’m doing well. I’m excited. We have a lot of fun events to talk about.
Cheletia Johnson:
Yes, we do. Very exciting events.
Grace Hallowell:
All righty. So, Martin Luther King Day is coming up. We have all of these fun things planned in celebration of Dr. King. What are the first few things… I know we have a lot going on, but this weekend kicks everything off.
Cheletia Johnson:
Yes. Yes. You know how people make their New Year’s resolution? Like, “I’m going to get healthy. I’m going to start working out.”, so on Saturday, January the 7th, we are having our Fit Fest. The community can experience all the different classes that we do offer at the center for free. And then maybe they would want to get their membership and join us weekly for these different activities. The Fit Fest will start at 11:00 AM, and it will go until a little after 1:00, because we’re having a pickleball demonstration. It’s a way for people to start on their New Year’s resolution, to say, “I’m going to change my mindset and I’m going to work out.”
Cheletia Johnson:
Also, the great thing about the Fit Fest, we will be doing door prizes every 30 minutes.
Grace Hallowell:
That’s a good incentive to get your blood pumping.
Cheletia Johnson:
Exactly, and it’s fun. So, that’s the first thing that’s coming up, and then of course, our big 39th annual Keeping the Dream Alive Celebration, which will take place on Friday, January the 13th. It starts at 6:30 p.m. I’m so honored to have this person that’s going to be our keynote speaker, and that is Mr. Lance Jackson, the former center supervisor of the Lincoln Center. He’s going to be delivering the message that evening on the 13th, and we will also be honoring some community leaders with the Keeping the Dream Alive Award.
So, I’m super excited to honor those that have made some impact in the community. They’re kind of behind the scenes, but they do tremendous work within our community. We also get to honor our former assistant director, Mrs. Kelly Kelby with the Lillian Jean Clark Lifetime Achievement Award for all her contributions, not only to the City of College Station, but around the Brazos Valley. So, it’s going to be an exciting time for us. And that starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Lincoln Center. Our musical guest is a musical group from Bryan, Men of Purpose, and they will be leading us in some spiritual entertainment. So, I’m excited, and again, this is our 39th.
Grace Hallowell:
39th. A big celebration. Yes.
Cheletia Johnson:
It’s a big celebration, we are excited about that. Then, that Saturday morning, we’re going to do our community cleanup.
Grace Hallowell:
Also very important and fun.
Cheletia Johnson:
Also very important. But, if young people need community service hours for their classes, this is a great opportunity to get some service hours by serving in the community with a cleanup. That will be on January the 14th at 8:30 AM.
Grace Hallowell:
Even if you just are looking for ways to get involved and help your community, it’s a good start.
Cheletia Johnson:
Yes, definitely.
Grace Hallowell:
We all like seeing our community beautiful and keeping it nice and clean.
Cheletia Johnson:
Exactly. Exactly. But all of these events that I am mentioning, they are free.
Grace Hallowell:
Yes. Free, free, free.
Cheletia Johnson:
Free, free, free. And they’re open to all ages, from the younger children to our older generation, for everybody to come out and remember and celebrate the legacy of Dr. King and what he stood for.
Grace Hallowell:
Absolutely.
Cheletia Johnson:
Yes. But we have more stuff. It’s a month-long celebration.
Grace Hallowell:
Yes. Always good to have more.
Cheletia Johnson:
Yes. Also on Wednesday, January the 18th, starting at 6:30, we will have an open house. That’s just a way for people, the community, to come see what we are doing at the center. Most people don’t even know that we have a new fitness room, or that we have a new building. So, this is for people to just come and see what all we have to offer to the community, from our youth activities to our senior programs, our rental areas that are available, and the fitness programs, just a variety of activities. This is a way for us to showcase to the community what we have available.
Grace Hallowell:
Perfect.
Cheletia Johnson:
And that’s free, okay? Also, on that same night, we are hosting a book discussion of one of Dr. King’s books called Strength to Love. It’s from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. as well. And it’s just emphasizing his religious components and why it’s important to love each other despite what’s going on. Pastor Dan De Leon, the senior pastor of Friends Congregation, is going to be leading that discussion. Now, if anybody needs a hardback copy of the book, we do have them for sale at the Lincoln Center.
Grace Hallowell:
Perfect.
Cheletia Johnson:
They are half off. If you go on Amazon, they’re $24 or more, but at the Lincoln Center for a hardback book, we have them for $12.
Grace Hallowell:
Perfect. That’s a good deal.
Cheletia Johnson:
A good deal, but also going to be a great discussion. Even if you don’t want to purchase the books from us, always go to Amazon to either get the hardback book or on Kindle. I don’t like books anymore. I like my Kindle. So I purchased it for my Kindle. The following week is our annual job fair that’s being sponsored by the Brazos Valley Workforce Solution. It’s going to be at 10:30 AM on Wednesday, January 25. It’s an opportunity for people to connect with local employers if they’re looking for full-time and part-time work. I also must plug in our Parks department because we are still looking for part-time help. So welcome all who are looking for a job to come to the job fair. But again, all of this information can be found on the City of College Station website.
Grace Hallowell:
Yes. And that’s cstx.gov/LincolnCenter.
Cheletia Johnson:
That is correct.
Grace Hallowell:
Yeah. I know this is lot of information we’re throwing at everybody today, but it’s all there. It’s so important, especially now in today’s day and age, to keep this dream alive that Dr. King had and keep spreading his message with all of these events.
Cheletia Johnson:
Yes. Just to love, respect, show compassion, show kindness. That’s free. All of that is free.
Grace Hallowell:
Everything. Yes.
Cheletia Johnson:
Free, free, free.
Grace Hallowell:
Yes. Well, thank you so much, Cheletia. I can’t wait to go to some of these events. I’m especially excited about the Fit Fest and learning about pickleball. I keep seeing it everywhere and I want to know more.
Cheletia Johnson:
Okay.
Grace Hallowell:
Thank you for being here.
Cheletia Johnson:
Thank you for the invitation.
Grace Hallowell:
You’re welcome. And that’s Stuff You Don’t Usually See!
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