If all goes as planned, the reopening of the Harlem Park Recreation Center in West Baltimore is just the beginning of a larger project for Baltimore City Rec and Parks (BCRP), one that will give back to communities and establish gathering centers to create city engagement.

“The bones of Baltimore exist,” says Chuck Naurath, director of the reopened center. “Putting the flesh back together is easier than we realize.”

At the launch for the center earlier this week, which was shuttered in 2012 under the administration of former mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, city leaders emphasized the need for more gathering spaces like this one. This particular project came together in just 90 days, aided by the support of the University of Maryland Medical Center and a push from Ray Wylie, president of the Harlem Park Neighborhood Council.

“The community lead the way in expressing that we need to reopen our rec center,” says BCRP director Reginald Moore. “We engaged the community in designing this building and also in creating programming.”

The new Harlem Park Recreation Center has ping-pong tables, a basketball hoop, and a computer lab. With the upgrades and renovations, the space, as former center director Brandi Murphy puts it, is now “fresh, clean, and 21st-century.”

At a celebration for the reopening, Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young spoke about how he grew up with rec centers, and asserted his commitment to the department in charge of their development. Moore spoke at length about the concept of “rec deserts”—areas where recreation centers do not exist or have ceased to exist, and leadership in place to rectify this issue. There is clearly a demand for the reopening or creation of rec centers across Baltimore—it’s just a matter of doing it.

The department hopes that Harlem Park can serve as a model for what it wants to do in other areas. Ideally, the city will find other partners and leaders to jumpstart similar projects. The center will be open on a temporary basis starting Wednesday, August 14, and operate on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule until it becomes fully operational in September.

It can now also resume the functions it served for kids in the community who were mainstays at its old iteration—many of whom have children of their own now. With programming like sports leagues, out-of-school learning, and youth and adult initiatives, centers like these are jumping off points, serving as a radius for activity in the community.

“It’s a new beginning—an opportunity to restart what was stopped,” Naurath says. “The potential is limitless.”

Founded in 1976 as part of the city’s annual Showcase of Nations, AFRAM—a free, two-day, family-oriented celebration of African American culture, community, and performance art—remains one of Baltimore’s most anticipated summer festivals.

“We invite not just Baltimoreans but everyone, young and old, to come experience a jam-packed weekend that honors the unique experience of African-Americans in Baltimore,” Mayor Bernard C. Jack Young shared in a press release about the event. “Our city’s culture of black excellence is no secret and we are happy to have this annual event to display and celebrate it.”

This weekend will mark the third year that Baltimore City Recreation and Parks (BCRP) hosts the event at Druid Hill Park. In an attempt to rebrand and reinvigorate the festival this time around, BCRP launched #AFRAMILY—a colorful social media campaign that spotlights short videos and interviews with local artists and entrepreneurs about their experiences living and working in Baltimore.

Featured Baltimoreans include Carleen Goodridge of Le Monade, The Voice star and recording artist Davon Fleming, MD State Senator of the 45th District Cory McCray, and nail artist Charlotte James of Power Decals.

“We are a majority black city, so AFRAM is such an incredible way to showcase our creatives and entrepreneurs,” James says. After years of fluctuating attendance, the 2017-2018 seasons saw a significant uptick in participation. “We expect an even larger crowd this year,” shares Whitney Brown, public relations officer for BCRP. “At Recreation and Parks, we are always looking for opportunities to reconnect the community with our spaces.”

With generous sponsorships from the likes of WBAL-TV, BGE, and Kaiser Permanente, AFRAM can once again bring some big names to Druid Hill Park. Celebrated musicians including Teddy Riley with Guy, Sevyn Streeter, The Combs, Wreckx-n-Effects, Kiana Lede, and our own Dru Hill will take the AFRAM Live Stage. And Rick Ross, one of the more anticipated performers, will headline the festival on Saturday, August 10. “Our lineup this year is phenomenal,” Brown continued. “I’m excited to see the crowd’s reaction to bringing Dru Hill back.”

Along with the stellar performances, attendees can browse a diverse selection of merchandise from local vendors, sample bites from food trucks, and enjoy a designated kids zone.

“Druid Hill Park is a place where a ton of family reunions are held,” Brown says. “AFRAM wants to remind folks of that feeling of reuniting with loved ones.”

Baltimore City Council President Brandon Scott edged out the kids wearing purple Charm City Games t-shirts in two different foot races at Canton Waterfront Park Monday, but given that Scott is a former track athlete, they were perhaps a bit closer than he would’ve liked. It’s this type of friendly competition that the Charm City Games hopes to foster in its inaugural year.

“We know that you learn so much through competition and athletics about life,” Scott says. “It’s great to have this happen across the city during summertime, put teams together, make sure that kids are meeting kids from other parts of town—something that doesn’t always happen in Baltimore—and get young people outside their neighborhoods. This city and all spaces in the city belong to them.”

The Games include different sports for kids ages 12 to 14, from basketball and tennis to track and field, and many more. The Games, currently in progress and lasting until July 20, bring together athletes from districts across the city to compete for team and individual honors. They were born out of a smaller initiative that Baltimore City Recreation and Parks director Reginald Moore created in Macon, Georgia—which was a way to get kids from all different areas active and bring them together.

“We want to get our kids out and engaged,” Moore says. “We want our kids exposed to many unique different opportunities and teams and to bring them together from different communities. Sports teaches the kids discipline.”

The Games are led by coaches from within the Rec and Parks departments, as well as volunteers from across the city. Many of these community leaders have their own experiences with athletics, and the hope is that they’ll be able to impart some wisdom on the competitors in their respective sports. Those in charge recognize competition as a unique mechanism to teach kids life lessons from an early age, something Moore acknowledges was top of mind when planning this event. “We want to develop their life skills to let them know that sometimes you may not win, but being a good sport is important too,” he says.

As for the future, Scott and Moore hope to have an overwhelming number of kids competing, to the point where there might even be tryouts to make a team. Moore has his designs set on potentially sending a Baltimore team to future International Children’s Games in Hungary in 2020 or Seoul in 2021. Overall, though, the goal to reach as many kids as possible remains the same. Organizers also feel it’s important to meld community and competition together to create something that is wholly positive and becomes something to look forward to for years to come.

“This event is something we’ve talked about for a long time,” Scott says. “This is the true show of what young people in Baltimore do each and every day. They’re just trying to be kids, grow, have fun, and have success in athletics and academics. We want to show everyone who doubts Baltimore, and specifically who doubt the young people of Baltimore, what they’re really about.”