The all knowing “Google” describes a Community Center as “a place that serves as a hub for local development and plays a vital role in supporting the growth and well-being of the community.” The Bills Creek Community Center, (BCCC), tries to live up to this description.
It has been a busy year at the BCCC. We started off the year by adding our Line Dancing class. This has become a very popular class where people come to dance and have a great time. This class is still going on and meets every Monday at 6 PM. First timers meet at 7:30.
Also, in January we made great improvements to our recreational facility. The addition of our park grills, basketball hoops and horseshoe pits has brought more people to the BCCC to enjoy family time together. To try to improve our communities nutritional needs the BCCC started a self-serve Food Pantry. This Pantry, built by David Ray and managed by Westyn and Wryder Woodard, has been an important source of food security for people in the Bills Creek area.
February, March and April brought more informative classes. Our Firearms safety, taught by the Sheriff’s Department and our First Aid class taught by the EMS Department were both very well attended and both offered life saving information.
A Yoga class was also a new development in February. This beginners class is enjoyed by many and continues to run every Tuesday at 3 PM.
During all this activity we did not forget our four-legged friends. Our Dog Park continues to be a hit. Bringing people and dogs together to form new and lasting friendships. The Dog Park has become so popular they started their own Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/groups/1566787357444297 . Pam and Clif Swan are the Chairs of our Dog Park. Under their tutelage the Dog Park has added a small dog section and a shaded area which allows people to watch their pups in comfort.
May, June and July the Center opened itself up to the Community. In May the Center made itself available to the “Leading Ladies of Lake Lure” who held a community yard sale whose proceeds went to the LLCA Feed the Children Fund. In June the McDowell Ham Radio Club held their field day at the Center. This 24-hour display of Ham Radio operation was open to the public and was attended by many. July was our way of saying THANK YOU to our wonderful, supportive Community. Our Community Day featured free food and ice cream, a bounce house, face painting, fire trucks, beehive exhibits and lots of fun.
Everyone knows what the end of September brought. The Tempestas, also known as Helene, challenged our area in ways never seen before. The Bills Creek Community Center was part of the solution, helping bring comfort in the storm. We worked with other organizations to supply them with things that were needed. We made the Center available to other organizations that were displaced due to the storm. We rounded up volunteers to help. We also fielded many calls, and emails, from people outside our area who were trying to find out if their family was safe. A couple of weeks after Helene’s wrath the Bills Creek Music Festival brought all our friends and neighbors together to celebrate our mutual strength and solidarity.
This wonderful day of music and comradery brought over 300 people together and raised over
$4,700, this money was donated to the Rutherford County Helene Disaster Relief Fund.
In November we added something huge to the Bills Creek Community Center. The addition of the Medical Equipment Loan Closet (MELC) will greatly add to the health and well-being of our area. The MELC was made possible with a grant from the Carolina Foothills Foundation and the construction expertise of Greg Schletter, Clif Swan and Marius Daugvila. The MELC will allow area residents to borrow wheelchairs, walkers and other durable medical equipment free of charge. Julia Hampton will be our Chair and contact person. If you have equipment to donate or need equipment, call 828-919-2911.
Our annual Turkey Dinner continued with a pleasant twist. Due to the generosity of our neighbors, over 60 people who would normally not be able to purchase the dinner were allowed to come in and enjoy the turkey dinner with others. We all live in a great community!
The year ends with our swing set being torn down, but have no fear, a new, bigger and more entertaining play area has been built for the enjoyment of our area children. A big thank you goes out to the HNG Foundation who helped to finance the soon to be new and improved fun.
Our little Community Center has been busy. We hope our actions fulfill our mission which is “To provide a central place for neighbors to meet and grow, a place that seeks to improve the health and well-being of the whole community.” We are always looking for new ideas, new volunteers and, of course, new donations.
Please reach out to us at billscreekcommunitycenter@gmail.com We hope every reader has a wonderful 2025.
