Sometimes, on your free time you want to go do something pro-active instead of lazing around on your bed or sofa. You might want to play some basketball or go work out in the gym, but it’s either snowing outside or you don’t really want to spend a lot of money for a gym. For a more satisfying experience go to the Spenard Recreation Center located at 2020 West 48th Avenue in the Spenard neighborhood. The recreation center is open every day of the week and provides an indoor gym, game room and dance room.

Raylon Almon, the supervisor of the Spenard Recreation Center has been working there since the October of 2014 and he has been enjoying every day of it. Almon says, “I enjoy my job. Seeing different faces everyday, talking to different people and learning about their life stories is the most enjoying part of it.” It’s only a $1 to attend if you’re under 18, $3 if you’re over 18 and children under 11 get in for free, but an adult must accompany children under eight. The Spenard Recreation Center is located in the Spenard neighborhood and is open from Monday through Friday 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM, Saturday 12:00 PM to 9:00 PM, and Sunday 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM.

Students and adults from all around the Spenard area go to the recreation center for the entertaining activities or sometimes just a place for them to hang out. They provide an indoor basketball court, a volleyball net, workout room, dance or martial arts room, racquetball room and a youth room. The youth room is a hangout place where young students can play billiards, Ping-Pong, foosball and watch television. The recreation center also provides a skate park for students to ride their skateboards, bikes and scooters.

Deneb Fronteras, a student from West Anchorage High School, has been going to the Spenard Recreation Center for as long as he can remember. Fronteras says, “I go to the rec center a lot because it’s cheaper and closer to where I live and there is so much to do there. The students who go to the rec are usually positive and chill and there are not that many troublemakers there either.”

May Lee is another student who often goes to the Spenard Recreation Center. She goes there at least once a week to play volleyball with her friends. Like most people who go there, Lee goes to recreation center because it’s cheaper, near her home and it’s a great place to hangout at to have fun. Lee says, “In my opinion, the purpose of the rec is to give us students and adults, a place to have fun and make new friends.”