Town of St. Johnsbury Recreation Department

09/25/2026

Come join the fun at the St. Johnsbury Community Contra Dance! Grab your dancing shoes and head over to St. Andrew's Church on the 4th Sunday of each month. Previous experience and pre-registration NOT required ~ all are welcome! There will be a 30 minute break in the middle for a really fun potluck supper and social time, so bring something to share if you are able.

Contra Dancing is a community-focused, traditional American social folk dance where dancers form long parallel lines and move through a sequence of repeating steps. It bears some resemblance to Square Dancing, but has some significant differences. All the dances are done to live music with an instructional "caller" who walks through the dance pattern a time or two, then as the music starts the caller continues to call out the pattern.

Interested but not ready to jump into a regular dance? Join your neighbors for a special pre-season, instructional dance for beginners on Sunday, October 11th from 3:30-5:00pm. Dance instruction and calling offered by Eric Rollnick with recorded music. Beginners and first-time attendees are encouraged and welcome, and experienced dancers are also invited to join and help keep things moving! Please bring clean, soft-soled shoes to change into once you arrive. Admission is free although donations are graciously accepted to cover the cost of the band and caller (suggested amounts: $5/student or $15/adult).

Link in comments for more information including a full list of monthly dates with music and caller details.

Location: 1265 Main Street, St. Johnsbury, VT; The entrance for the dance is through the door to the downstairs parish hall at the rear of the building. For more information, call (802) 748-2121 or email [email protected].

“St. Andrew’s Is Your Place, Too!”

09/23/2026

We are blown away by the enthusiasm, creativity, and perspective of what “recreation” means to youth in our community. Their vision and talent is inspiring. Thank you, SJA students!

09/16/2026

⚽️ A fun afternoon of soccer!

Please spread the word and share! Also in need of volunteers!

09/09/2026

🏀 Thinking about basketball season and looking for a unique opportunity to set your young baller up for success this coming season? Consider this upcoming clinic with Kai Burridge and Drew Hanlen on Sunday, October 18th at SJA Alumni Gymnasium!

Coaches are encouraged to attend (for free) to observe and gain some tips & tricks as they prepare for leading teams this upcoming season.

Athlete registration and clinic details at kbtrainingbasketball.com.

08/27/2026

📣 Youth Soccer & Cross Country start next week! Have you gotten your child’s registration in?

⚽️ Our 3/4 Girls team is looking for a couple more to field a full girls team … please spread the word!

🙋 Thank you to our amazing group of coaches and helpers that are ready to lead the season. We are excited to see everyone next week!

🔗 Link in comments to the St. J Rec website for registration and the scholarship application.

08/21/2026

DON'T WAIT ANY LONGER! If your kids are planning to participate in fall athletics, please get your registrations in ASAP so we can finalize team details and get schedules out!

⚽️ Soccer (Grades 3-6) starts the week of August 31st. We need a few more to ensure separate girls and boys teams for both age groups.

🚵 Youth Mountain Biking (Grades 5-8) kicks off with bike fitting on August 27th and the first team ride on September 3rd.

👟 Cross Country (Grades K-8) starts September 2nd. We have lots of helpers but are still in need of a lead running coach.

🤸‍♀️ Hilltopper Game Day Cheer starts September 12th. Get in on the fun with this beloved community program.

🔗 Link in comments to the scholarship application and registration site.

08/18/2026

☀️Tomorrow is the last summer session of the Nature Play series with Miss April. Register now so you don’t miss it! $10 per family, scholarships available. Link in comments.

📍LOCATION UPDATE: We’ll meet at Four Seasons Park on Main St. so we can check in on the progress of the sunflower house! And be sure to come early to catch the end of the St. J Farmers Market in the park!

🌻A few notes from Miss April for anyone stopping by the park to check out the sunflower house:

The Sunflower House is starting to bloom. So take some time to notice that no two sunflowers seem to be growing quite the same way.

You’ll notice sunflowers of all different heights. Some blooms are petite little bursts of yellow, while others are already stretching wider and taller. And we aren’t done growing yet!

Eventually, our Mammoth Sunflowers will join the party. 🌻 These aptly named giants can grow 8 to 12 feet tall, sometimes even taller when conditions are just right. Their enormous flower heads can reach close to a foot across and eventually become packed with seeds. I love planting Mammoths with children because they turn gardening into a full-body experience. You don’t just look at these flowers. You crane your neck toward the sky and wonder, How did THAT grow from one tiny seed?!

And that wonder is exactly what the Sunflower House is all about. 💛

Miss April from has been watering the Sunflower House throughout the summer and recruiting some very important junior gardeners to help keep our thirsty sunflowers growing.

On Saturday, 6-year-old Kiara Rios and her dad, Brandon Rios, joined the watering crew. 💦🌻

Kiara quickly discovered a sunflower that was exactly her height and began noticing all the different sizes of the flowers around her. Some were tiny. Some were big. Some plants towered above her, while others were still catching up.

That kind of spontaneous noticing is one of the reasons I love creating nature spaces for children. We don’t have to hand them a worksheet about measurement, comparison, plant growth, or observation. We can simply give them a garden and invite them to pay attention.

Suddenly children are asking:

🌻 Which sunflower is the tallest?
🌻 Which one is shortest?
🌻 Can you find one your exact height?
🌻 Which flower has the biggest center?
🌻 How many petals do you think it has?
🌻 Can you find a bee collecting pollen?
🌻 Which sunflower is just beginning to open?
🌻 What do you think this garden will look like next week?

That’s nature-inspired learning happening right before our eyes.

We are so grateful for the children, families, neighbors, and community members who have helped water, visit, notice, and care for this little patch of happiness. The Sunflower House belongs to the community, and watching people interact with it is every bit as wonderful as watching the flowers grow.

🌻 Stop by the Sunflower House and make your own little adventure.

Bring a picnic and eat inside the Sunflower House.

Find the sunflower that is closest to your child’s height and take a photo beside it. Come back in a week or two and see who grew more. 📏

Go on a sunflower scavenger hunt. Find the smallest bloom, the largest bloom, the tallest plant, a flower bud that hasn’t opened yet, and one that has a visiting pollinator.

Bring a magnifying glass and investigate the center of a sunflower up close. 🔎

Look for bees, butterflies, beetles, and other tiny garden visitors.

Lie down or crouch low and look up through the sunflowers. The garden feels completely different from a child’s-eye view.

Sketch your favorite sunflower or bring some crayons and have a little nature-art picnic. 🎨

Read a sunflower story inside the house.

Count flowers, compare heights, hunt for patterns, or simply wander through and enjoy being surrounded by something beautiful.

And, of course, take pictures. Lots of pictures. Because before we know it, these little blooms will become giant golden faces nodding above us, the season will shift again, and the Sunflower House will begin producing seeds for birds, wildlife, and perhaps another generation of sunflowers. 🌻🐦

A garden changes every single day.

Maybe even see if you can find a sunflower exactly your size. 💛🌻

08/17/2026

Registration for Fall Youth Mountain Biking is OPEN!

🚵‍♂️ St J REC Youth MTB (born out of and formerly a part of Hilltopper MTB) is a youth mountain biking program welcoming young riders in grades 5-8. Scholarships, loaner equipment, and helmets available.

📆 Weekly rides meet Thursdays at area trails including Vermont Children's Theater (VCT), Moose Haven, Burke Mtn, and area St J trails. Led by Finn Maquire (continuing youth leader from Hilltopper MTB), participants will ride on the same days as the Hilltopper Club MTB program, allowing programs to continue to collaborate, share resources, and support all riders. Full schedule available during registration. NOTE: If your rider will be requesting a loaner bike during the registration process, a required bike fitting is scheduled for Thursday, August 27th at 3:15pm at St. Johnsbury Academy.

🤔 Curious what happened to the Hilltopper Youth MTB program? Due to the exciting advancement of Hilltopper MTB into an official Varsity sport, the youth program is no longer able to continue operation under the same group. St. Johnsbury Academy will continue to run a Club MTB program for high school students that is separate and in addition to their new varsity team. Thanks to a dedicated group of SJA MTB leaders and St J Rec's desire to continue offering this unique opportunity for our community, we are thrilled to accept the passing of the torch and continue building the program. Through a strong commitment to collaboration, we are positive our riders and families will continue to experience the highest quality experience through the St J REC Youth MTB program.

🔗 Link to the Youth Scholarship Fund application and CivicRec program registration site in comments.