Pine Community Center to celebrate 10th birthday with special event

The Pine Community Center will mark its 10th birthday at the end of the month and they’re celebrating in the week leading up to the big day with free classes, giveaways and more.

The actual birthday “party” will be Jan. 27 from 1 to 4 p.m., said Joni Patsko, the township’s director of parks and recreation.

“We’ll have a bounce house and a craft project where kids can create a birthday card for the center as well as some other kids’ programs,” she said. “We’re hoping to do a 3-on-3 basketball tournament and of course we’re going to have cake and ice cream and snacks.”

They’ll also have two free seminars, one on healthy eating and one presented by staff from the Pittsburgh Marathon on training and race preparation. Also on Sunday, all fitness classes held before the official party begins will be free of charge, making it a great opportunity for non-members to come give the center a try. Classes are also free all day long Jan. 25.

Members and non-members can also look for additional bonuses throughout the week beginning Jan. 21, including some giveaways and membership specials.

“Pretty much throughout the week we’re going to have a free class every day,” fitness coordinator Tess Osborne said. “We have some local businesses giving away samples for our members and a couple different free programs for kids throughout the week. We’re also planning a senior social and happy hour that Friday with snacks and refreshments.”

Patsko, who has been with the township for many years and was there when they broke ground on the building, said it’s been a wonderful experience watching the center grow over the past 10 years.

Since it opened, the center has grown its fitness program to its current schedule of about 50 different classes as well as its programs for children, teens and older adults, she said. They continue to add and update equipment to accommodate a growing membership base and keep up with demand for the more popular classes, such as spinning.

They also have a number of annual special events, including brunch with Santa, an Easter egg hunt and the upcoming daddy-daughter dance, that sell out every year.

“There are a lot of great things happening here at the community center and we see it every day,” she said. “We’d like everyone else to really know what we’re doing here. It’s going to be a very important week and day for us.”

Karen Price is a Tribune-Review contributor.