Gold Medal Tour

On Wednesday, October 11, 2023, the Champaign Park District won the 2023 National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management! Champaign Park District was presented the Grand Plaque at the National Recreation and Park Association Conference in Dallas, Texas.

We’ve taken the Gold Medal plaque on a tour around our facilities so you could take a peek. Here’s a recap of the last couple of months! 

Located in the heart of downtown Champaign, the Springer Cultural Center offers cultural, recreational, and educational programs for all ages as well as exhibits and performances.

Constructed as a post office in 1904 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, the architectural design represents the Renaissance Revival style with its aesthetics emphasizing simplicity and order. The stately Springer Cultural Center provides the perfect setting for parties, meetings, conferences, luncheons, demonstrations, and receptions.

Located in West Champaign, this multi-purpose recreation center provides quality educational, social, recreational, and fitness programs for our 50+ program. 

CUSR Center is the home of Champaign-Urbana Special Recreation. CUSR was formed through a cooperative agreement with the Champaign and Urbana Park Districts to provide recreation programs and leisure services for residents with disabilities. Inclusion and specialized programs are available. We provide quality recreation programs for people with disabilities by hiring and training qualified staff, providing staff ratios which ensures program safety and success, and adapting programs and equipment to meet the needs of the participants.

The Dodds Tennis Center features six indoor courts, great staff, and a vast array of programs including lessons, drill & plays, and workouts.  Our programming covers a wide range of ages and skill levels from young children to seniors, experienced players to those who’ve never held a racquet.

After it’s grand opening in October of 2022, the Martens Center is the home to innovation and recreation. Martens Center hosts a variety of STEAM programming, group fitness classes, instructional cooking classes, interactive games, and much more!

Leonhard Recreation Center is your destination to be active and have fun! We feature an indoor track, weight room, group fitness classes, an indoor playground, and a large gym for your sports recreation needs.

Leonhard Recreation Center opened to the public in 2014 and was funded in part by the Park and Recreational Facility Construction Grant Program, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, with additional geothermal mechanical system funding provided by The Illinois Clean Energy Foundation. The energy efficient geothermal system transfers heat by pumping water through pipes below the Earth’s surface. During the winter, the piped water absorbs underground warmth and brings heat to the building. In the summer, it is reversed for air conditioning!

The Virginia Theatre’s legendary stage has hosted literally thousands of performances in the past one hundred years, while it’s fifty-two foot-wide movie screen (the largest downstate) has witnessed historic advances in the technology of film, transitioning first from silent movies to “talkies” and later to 35mm and 70mm films, finally arriving at today’s high-definition, digital movie downloads.

Opened in 1921 near the end of the vaudeville era, the Virginia offered the public a wide array of entertainments that included variety shows, “legitimate” theatre, concerts, local fundraisers, dance recitals, celebrity appearances, comedians, and, of course, movies.

Today, the Champaign Park District’s Virginia Theatre continues to host a broad range of both locally-produced and touring concerts, children’s shows, films, stage plays, comedy, and special events. 

Bresnan Meeting Center is home to many staff offices and houses a public meeting space that is available for rent. It also hosts the Champaign Park District’s Board of Commissioners’ meetings on the second Wednesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. and the Board’s study sessions on the fourth Wednesday of the month at 5:30 pm.  The public is welcome and encouraged to attend. Please visit our Board Information page for details.

Our Operations and Planning department plays a key role in keeping our parks and facilities clean and beautiful. Our Operations team features horticulture, arborists, maintenance, grounds workers, and park planners!