Daylight Saving Time will return on March 8, with Spring officially arriving 11 days later on March 19. This time of year offers a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the fresh air and our Voorhees park system.
Connolly Park, located on Centennial Blvd., is a 49-acre oasis. Acquired by the Township in 2001, it contains two dog runs, one for large dogs and one for small dogs, a half-mile lighted walking and jogging track that includes workout stations, a large grass field for multi-sport usage, a cricket pitch with synthetic turf, an open-air picnic pavilion, a comfort station with restrooms, a playground with picnic tables and a tot-lot. The open-air picnic pavilion will soon be replaced with a much larger structure to help protect users from the sun and rain. Connolly Park is also the home of our Summer Concert Series and National Night Out.
Lions Lake Park is located on Dutchtown Road off of Route 73. Our community banquet facility can accommodate up to 100 people. Recently, a new picnic pavilion was installed adjacent to the playground. It is also home to the Voorhees Girls Softball Association, with four fields which are fully lit. New dugout enclosures were added to all four fields. Recently, the National Softball Association named Lions Lake as one of three “Outstanding Parks” in the northeast and the only facility in New Jersey to receive the award.
Kirkwood Park, located along Laurel Oak Road behind the Hampton Inn, has a lighted softball field, paved walking path, a full basketball court, two tennis courts, a children’s playground, a multi-purpose field, two bocce ball courts and restrooms. The walking path, basketball court and tennis courts were recently resurfaced through grants received from both the state and Camden County. The Township also permanently preserved the adjacent 14-acre Kirkwood Forest, enhancing and ensuring the beauty of this natural setting.
The Maiaroto Sports Complex, located on Echelon Road, is home to the Voorhees Soccer Association and host to the Annual Memorial Day Soccer Tournament, one of the largest in the country. The complex includes seven fields, including one with artificial turf, and recently expanded and improved lighting. It also offers two tennis courts and basketball courts which were recently resurfaced with a county grant, as well as a fully operational snack bar with restrooms.
Home to the Gibbsboro Voorhees Athletic Association (GVAA) is the Rabinowitz Baseball Complex, located along Kresson Road, with six fenced baseball fields. “Sprinturf Diamonds” have been installed on the Babe Ruth and Majors fields. Three of the fields are fully lit. The complex also includes a children’s playground with swings as well as a snack bar and restrooms.
Eastern Junior Vikings Football and Cheer, as well as Voorhees Lacrosse Inc., use the Giangiulio Recreation Complex located along Victor Blvd. The complex includes a lighted athletic field with synthetic turf which is used year-round. In addition, there is a baseball field with lights and a newly upgraded fenced tot lot thanks to a county grant. Giangiulio also includes a snack bar and restrooms.
Stafford Farm is our largest piece of preserved land. The 140-acre parcel includes a one-mile walking path that follows an old stagecoach trail through the woods. The Township also purchased the 5.5 acre parcel of land adjacent to Stafford Farm known as Stafford Woods to be preserved as open space. A Disc Golf Course was constructed and is accessible from Evesham Road. The Stafford Woods Disc Golf Course has been named one of the 50 best courses in the country.
John Hale, Sr. Memorial Park is at the site of the former Voorhees Township Department of Public Works sewer plant on West End Avenue in the Ashland section of town. In partnership with the Ashland Residential Coalition (ARC) and with a grant from the Camden County Open Space Advisory Board, a playground with swings and a picnic pavilion were installed. This park connects to Ashland Woods, a 20-acre tract of forest permanently preserved by the Township.
The township maintains neighborhood playgrounds on Round Hill Road, Elliot Playground on Elliot Drive in the Beagle Club, Sandpiper Playground on Willowbrook Way in the Avian Section, Cornell Drive Playground in Lake Villa and in the Green Ridge neighborhood where last year the tennis court was striped to include use as a pickle ball court. During the past year, new playground equipment was installed in the Lake Villa, Kirkwood Park and Sandpiper Park Playgrounds. Voorhees also maintains two half-court basketball courts at the Sheppard Road Basketball Park located off of Centennial Blvd.
The Voorhees Township Committee will continue to work to improve our park system. All of our parks are smoke free and maintained without the use of pesticides. Enjoy the outdoors in Voorhees!
** Kindergarten registration for the 2020-2021 school year will take place at the Administration Building on the following dates: Wednesday, March 4 for last names beginning with the letters A-L, Wednesday, March 18 for last names beginning with the letters M-Z and Wednesday, March 25 for make-up registrations. Each registration will run from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
** The Alicia Rose Victorious Foundation Wine and Food Tasting will be held on Friday, March 27 from 6 to 9:30 p.m. at the Mansion on Main Street. Ticket donations are $60 per person in advance or $75 per person at the door. For reservations, call (856) 784-0615 or visit www.victoriousfoundation.org. The Foundation installs Teen Centers in hospitals throughout the country to bring hope, excitement and entertainment to teens facing difficult conditions while receiving hospital treatment.
** The Voorhees Arts Council is hosting international harpist Madeleine Doherty for an evening of music featuring some of her beautiful compositions along with traditional Irish songs. The event will be held April 3 with a wine and cheese reception starting at 6:30 p.m. and music and conversation from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $20, and seating is limited. For more information text (609) 315-6218 or visit https://voorheesartscouncil.org/.
** The Voorhees Breakfast Rotary’s Annual Spring Egg Hunt will be held on Saturday, April 4, at Lions Lake Park. The fun begins at 10:30 a.m. with games, prizes and a DJ. The egg hunt starts at 11 a.m. Children up to fifth grade are invited and prizes will be given to all age groups. The rain date is Saturday, April 11. Please bring your own baskets. For more information, visit www.voorheesbreakfastrotary.com.
