Fort Ritchie Community Center stands just inside the double iron gates marking the entrance to the old fort, which was decommissioned 27 years ago. The community center’s executive director, Buck Browning, took me on a tour of the facility. At 3 in the afternoon the place was almost empty, but Browning tells me that by 5, the place is packed.
Fort Ritchie’s old gym was remodeled into the community center in 2008. In the gymnasium Browning points out the original wooden beams supporting the roof. He goes on to say that during World War II Italian prisoners of war slept in the room.
In the hallway, we pass some prints on the wall. Browning tells me they are part of a Holocaust exhibit designed by one of the original Ritchie Boys, a group of World War II intelligence soldiers secretly trained at this location. Unfortunately, the community center doesn’t have space to keep the entire exhibit on display.
On the tour, I saw the center’s four other exercise rooms: the multi-purpose room which is used for fitness classes, as well as the dedicated cardio room, the machine-filled fitness center and the Fortress, the free weight room.
The center’s team wants to make a happier, healthier community. “America has the highest obesity rate and some of the worst heart health in the world,” said Brenda Walker, the center’s director of wellness. The statistics are worse in rural areas. “Only about 8 percent in a rural area are working out actively,” she added.
Fort Ritchie is trying to help change that. The staff is working with Washington County’s Go For Bold program which aims to have residents lose a million pounds by 2030. “Working out, whether you’re an active person or not, it’s still important to put yourself first. If we don’t put ourselves first, eventually our bodies will start to give on us. Then instead of getting healthy and staying healthy, you’re now having to go a doctor,” Walker said.
For the past three years, the community center has been hosting February Fitness Challenge. Participants in the program are separated into teams in a friendly competition to see which can gather the most points.
“We want them to think about their overall health – what they’re eating plus what their water intake is, plus if they’re getting enough sleep,” Walker said. The center offers bonuses for the participants including meal guidance and free classes such as a nutritional cooking class.
But Fort Ritchie isn’t only a gym; it is a place for the community. Above the backstop of the gymnasium is a lounge for youth. The center also rents out the gymnasium, multi purpose room and a meeting room for people and businesses in the community.
The center has a partnership with Tabitha’s Table in Smithsburg to offer a food pantry every second and fourth Tuesday. On the same days in the evenings from 6-7:30, they offer a program for children aged 6-13 with gym games and a craft and a teen club to play volleyball or basketball from 7-8:30.
Additionally, the center offers a new homeschool program for local families. The program takes place from 10 to 11:30 a.m. every second and fourth Wednesday of the month until May 28. Open to youth ages 6-15, activities are tailored for children in the age groups 6-10 and 11-15. “It’s a place for them to meet other homeschoolers… and get some physical activity in during the week,” said Hannah Spinks, the center’s rural outreach director.
The community center’s first programs in January saw an attendance of 20-35 children. The program costs $10 for the first child in a family and $5 for each additional child. Readers can find out more or register at Fort Ritchie’s website at: https://thefrcc.org/youth-programs/homeschool-club/ .
The center has fitness programs for homeschool children on the second and fourth Wednesdays. Additional events such as indoor yard sales and fitness programs can be found on the center’s online calendar.
For more information about the Fort Ritchie Community Center, readers may check out their website at thefrcc.org.
