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The Gap is Bridged

On a humid July morning, trail supporters gathered to celebrate the connection of Valdese Lakeside Park and McGalliard Falls Park with a new 160-foot bridge creating a 2 mile greenway trail.

Dog Park Grand Opening

Dogs can now run free in Valdese – at least in the new quarter acre Dog Park. At the park’s grand opening, sixty dogs frolicked freely in the grass as more than 100 people watched. The opening was the culmination…

Mural Dedication

Children’s Park in Valdese has a new interactive mural thanks to a local donor. Friends of the Valdese Rec (FVR) had been looking for a way to liven up Children’s Park in Valdese and thought a painted mural was the…

Furniture from Community Foundation of Burke County

Our furniture is here! Thanks to a $7,051.89 grant from the Community Foundation of Burke County, we have nine benches along the greenway at Valdese Lakeside Park.  People of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds visit the park to walk and…

Art at Children’s Park

Friends of the Valdese Rec has been thinking about a mural at Children’s Park for some time – something that would be a “selfie photo op.” After meeting with artists and trying to find the “right” painted scene, FVR President…

New Gym Floor

The Rec Building was built in 1938 and the gym floor is showing wear from usage. The wood has been sanded as much as is possible and can only have new coats of urethane added to protect the surface. Through…

Children’s Park Overflow

Any given game day, and sometimes any regular Saturday, visitors cannot find a parking space at Children’s Park. It leads to a dangerous situation with cars, trucks and vans tucked into random spots and at all angles in the lot…

McGalliard Creek Bridge Moving Forward

All obstacles in the path of the McGalliard Creek bridge project have been cleared and construction is the next step. From the 2013 Valdese Parks & Recreation Comprehensive Development Plan, the top recreational item requested by survey respondents and public…

1.5-Miles by Volunteers

For 2021, the volunteer FVR Trail Blazers added 1.5 miles of new trail at Valdese Lakeside Park. With 4 weeks of excavator rental and 746 hours of volunteer labor. Farris Group of Gaston County and FVR VLP Fund each paid…

New Year’s Day Trail Runs

For the first time, the New Year’s Day Resolution Runs were held completely at Valdese Lakeside Park. In past years the race started at Draughn High School to have parking and restrooms. Read more about the 5K and 10K Trail…