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Children’s Park Playground

Children’s Park: Honoring the Past, Building for the Future For more than 50 years, Children’s Park has held a special place in the heart of Valdese. Dedicated in memory of five children lost in the tragic 1972 bomb shelter explosion,…

Rotary Steps Up for Children’s Park

$55,000 in Support for Playground Rebuild in Valdese The momentum continues for improvements at Valdese Children’s Park. Thanks to strong leadership and collaboration from the Rotary Club of Valdese, a total of $55,000 in Rotary funding has been secured to…

2025 Annual Report

We are pleased to present our 2025 Annual Report. If you are an FVR member and/or donor, the printed report will be coming to your mailbox soon. You can also request a printed report – just send an email to…

Let the Meadow Grow

Letting The Meadow Grow: A New Natural Area at Valdese Lakeside Park April 11, 2026 Update: 19 volunteers planted 18 plants in the Meadow along Outer Loop – and that now will be called “Blueberry Hill” Trees: Yellow Delicious and…

Twilight Tales on the Trail

🌙✨ Twilight Tales on the Trail Draws 200 for Night of Legends and Lore ✨🌙 Oh, what a night! The first-ever Twilight Tales on the Trail brought more than 200 guests to Valdese Lakeside Park on Thursday, October 30, for…

New Trail Opens

New Trail Opens at Valdese Lakeside Park A perfect fall Saturday morning brought out 28 hikers to celebrate the opening of a new section of trail at Valdese Lakeside Park. A fitting surprise for the event was the attendance of…

Lunch & Learn Grant

Lunch and Learn Receives Community Foundation Grant Support Friends of the Valdese Rec is proud to announce that we have received a $2,400 grant from the Community Foundation of Burke County (CFBC) to support our Lunch and Learn program —…

Great Trails State Day Challenge Met

Great Trails State Day 2025 – Miles of Fun, Fitness, and Fellowship! North Carolina’s official Great Trails State Day—celebrated each year on the third Saturday in October—was a huge success at Valdese Lakeside Park! From sunrise coffee and donuts to…

New Outer Loop Section

60 Different Volunteers – 376 Hours As part of the Valdese Lakeside Park Master Park Plan, FVR Volunteers have finished the Red Outer Loop Trail — relocating the existing trail off unsustainable logging road, separating a section where Hollipop Mountain…