There are plenty of activities for all ages during the spring season, from archery to painting classes
By Anna-Rhesa Versola | Photography courtesy of Chatham County Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources
Warmer weather and brighter days are here again – here’s how to take advantage of the many parks, farms and outdoor venues in our backyard, including a few new ones you might not have heard of yet.
Fun on the Farm
A sure sign of spring is the sight of baby goats prancing across the meadows at Celebrity Dairy in Siler City, where owners Brit Pfann and Fleming Pfann welcome visitors to their bed and breakfast and working farm. Open Barn Days offer chances for two-legged kids of all ages to line up for cuddles with kids of the four-legged variety. This year’s Open Barn Days will be held March 15, March 22 and April 13. Also on April 13, the farm celebrates its inaugural Celebrity Dairy Cheese Fest. Visitors can sample a variety of cheeses made from goat milk or sniff the Cud-zu goat milk soaps.
All Open Barn Days are held rain or shine, so dress accordingly. Gate admission is $10 per person ages 3 and older; no pets allowed.
Melissa Frey and her daughter, Marinne Frey, operate Cool Creek Farm’s outdoor day camps for kids ages 6 to 9. Now in its sixth year, the family farm at 738 Castle Rock Farm Road in Pittsboro offers three seasons of nature-focused programs that put kids in the driver’s seat, encouraging child-led play designed to inspire independence, emotional resilience and a deep connection to the outdoors.
With small groups capped at 16 campers per week and a 1:8 adult-to-camper ratio, each child receives plenty of guidance and support. Adding to the experience, every week of the 13-week summer camp features a special guest – a visiting artist or musician – to spark creativity and introduce new hands-on activities.
Carolina Sunshine Alpaca Farm offers both guided and unguided tours. Reservations are accepted and encouraged, but drop-in visitors who spot the farm while driving along Hwy. 64 between Pittsboro and Siler City are also welcome.
Drinks and snacks are available inside the farm’s on-site store, which features yarn and other products made from the alpacas’ wool. Kids are welcome to play yard games or create sidewalk chalk drawings while family and friends hang out on the wide front porch or other covered gathering spaces. Advanced admission is $7 per person, same-day admissions are $9 per person, and kids younger than 3 are free.
Athletic Appeal
The new Chatham YMCA officially opens its doors March 15, the same day as the annual Leprechaun Dash. The 5K and 10K courses begin and end at the 36,000-square-foot fitness facility in Chatham Park.
Dash through The Vineyards, the first residential neighborhood in Chatham Park, and run past the Knight Farm Community Park and over the Hwy. 64 Bypass. After the race, explore downtown Pittsboro, where you can easily walk to several restaurants or breweries for lunch or brunch.
In June, Unify Athletics will open a new gymnastics facility at 85 Eubanks Road. The gym will offer recreational classes for children of all ages, on-site day care, half- and full-day summer and track-out camps, plus a competitive gymnastics team program.
“It is well known that Pittsboro is a blossoming area, attracting many new young families over the next few years,” says Vahid Moavenzadeh, the gym’s co-owner. Registration for weekly summer camps is open, and camps will begin June 16.
After picking up the kiddos from the gymnastics sessions, head to S&T’s Soda Shoppe for an old-fashioned fudge sundae, Circle City Ice Cream for peanut butter nachos or Jeremiah’s Italian Ice for layers of flavor.
If you’re looking for a new sport, check out Yarak Archery, the first full-service archery retail and pro shop in Pittsboro. Owner Josh Johnson says he had several reasons for choosing Pittsboro, but his primary purpose was to fill a gap within the hunting and fishing community.
“Before we opened, most of the residents in Chatham County likely had to drive over an hour to get to an archery shop,” Josh says. “I think what sets us apart from most other archery shops [in the region] is our focus on customer service. I have always felt like customer service was lacking in most of the bow shops that I visited over the years, and that makes it difficult to grow the archery community and retain those people long-term.”
Yarak Archery has a climate-controlled, eight-lane indoor range, and Josh plans to build an outdoor range in the next few months and to offer additional programs. Check it out at 1456 Hwy. 64 Business.
A new flag football league is on the horizon for Chatham County under the leadership of former Cincinnati Bengals running back Cedric Peerman, who is also the varsity football coach at Northwood High School. Cedric received a license from the National Football League to launch the league in Pittsboro for boys and girls ages 4 to 17.
“My mission is to grow the game of flag football for boys and girls as well as tackle football in Chatham County,” Cedric says. “This county has great potential to produce the best players in all of NC. It is my mission to develop and find that potential.”
Creative Outlets
Chatham County Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources celebrates the grand opening of its first arts center on May 17 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 964 East St. in Pittsboro. There will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony, artist demonstrations, music, a craft table and self-guided tours of
the facility. To access the studio, drive straight through the open gate toward the back of the building and look for the sign on the door.
“We are thrilled to open the doors of the Arts Center and welcome the Chatham community into a space dedicated to creativity, expression and connection,” says Tracy Burnett, director of the department. “As Chatham County’s first government-supported arts facility, this center marks the beginning of an exciting journey to cultivate artistic expression, celebrate cultural diversity, and strengthen our community by supporting local artists, enriching education and boosting economic vitality.”
Classes and programs are available for all ages, and the center will host family workshops plus specialized and adaptive programming. Try something new with one- or two-day workshops or deepen your knowledge with six-week class sessions. So far, classes include clay hand-building, collage, drawing with charcoal, glass fusing, stained glass, mosaic art, oil painting, open studio, pottery on the wheel, private lessons, sewing and watercolor. In addition, there will be exhibit space to display finished works.
Arts and cultural program supervisor Leigh Babcock hopes to add programs in the visual arts as well as music, theater and literary arts.
The Checkered Tulip Sewing & Craft Studio in historic downtown Pittsboro offers summer and track-out camps for kids who want to create their own clothes or decor. The studio also hosts classes for adults.
