Saline Rec Center Marks 35 Years With Community Celebration

Red and blue balloons lined the hallways Friday evening as the Saline Recreation Center marked 35 years with activities that filled the gym, parking lot and outdoor fields.

The June 19 anniversary event invited longtime members, new visitors and curious families to move through the Woodland Drive building, where a display near the entrance highlighted the Rec Center’s history from 1991 to 2026.

Inside the gym, guests played pickleball while children gathered around an inflatable bounce house. Outside, visitors tried lawn games in the shade, stopped by food trucks and explored city vehicles and equipment lined up for touch-a-truck.

For Parks and Recreation Director Sunshine Lambert, the milestone was a chance to recognize the people who have helped shape the Rec Center over more than three decades.

“Celebrating 35 years is an exciting milestone for the Saline Rec Center,” Lambert said in the city’s announcement. “We are grateful to the members, participants, volunteers, staff and community partners who have supported the facility throughout the years.”

The Rec Center opened in 1991 and has since become a familiar place for fitness, recreation, youth activities and community events. Friday’s lineup reflected that mix, with a pool party, prize drawings, basketball, free fitness classes and drop-in activities throughout the evening.

The event also included a membership sale for paid-in-full annual memberships, with discounts offered for individual, dual and family memberships.

“The Rec Center has been a place where our community comes together to play, be healthy and build lasting connections,” Lambert said. “We are proud of the generations of customers who have made the Rec Center such an important part of Saline, and we look forward to continuing to serve our community for many years to come.”

The anniversary comes as the Rec Center has also been part of broader community conversations in Saline, including recent discussions about its future and long-term support. Friday offered a quieter look at what those conversations are about: children playing in the gym, residents gathering outside and a community space still drawing people in after 35 years.

More information about Saline Parks and Recreation is available through the city’s Parks and Recreation Department.

Featured photo: Visitors stop near the Saline Rec Center’s 35th anniversary display during Friday’s celebration. Photo by Heather Finch