Zebulon Parks and Recreation Program Coordinator Debbie Wheless said a walking group was the first of many fitness opportunities to really pick up since it was semi-established before the move to the new facility. Karate and aerobics are two other opportunities that have remained available while growing at the same time.

But with room for more activities at the recently renovated community center, parks and recreation staff is urging the community to take advantage of its various new offerings.

"I think word of mouth has just spread about how nice it is," Wheless said of the fresh start in the old Armory building. "The social aspect is growing, and it's not always the same people either."

Classes now up-and-running, and growing according to Wheless, include yoga, Circuit Training, Kids Fitness, Hoops for Kids, Beginning Sports and Senior Aerobics. Also, a women's karate class will begin on Saturday, Feb. 27, and the center's second conditioning class for athletes is set to begin in March, as is a new fitness class called Zumba.

Circuit Training, which started in December, is station-by-station aerobics and resistance training held on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Senior Aerobics is a class comprised mainly of women that meets Thursday mornings. It is a low impact workout with bands and light weights, and is primarily carried out while sitting in chairs. Conditioning for Athletes, which ran for baseball players in the early winter, focuses on weight-lifting and a general workout on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Participants also come in to shoot hoops in the new gym on Wednesdays. Zumba is a Latin-American spin-off on dancing aerobics that has become popular in the fitness world, and parks and recreation hopes it will become popular in Zebulon, too.

Wheless said another great class being held for kids is called Kids Fitness. Children get exercise, but also talk about healthy foods and snacks, and review nutrition guides. The kids get a workout, but are schooled on healthy choices while having fun at the same time. She also said the Monday afternoon Hoops for Kids class for children grades 3-5 has sparked enough interest for the center to begin another class for kids grades K-2. Beginning Sports is for kids 3-5 years old and meets on Friday mornings. This class offers pre-fitness instruction to introduce children to general sports. Classes run on a monthly basis.

All these offerings are in addition to the various sports leagues held each season. People are starting to use the community center's fitness room not only for social and healthy purposes but for serious strength building as well.

"We're always looking for something new to offer - we don't want to get old," Wheless said of the new lineup of classes. "If it works, it works. If not, we'll ditch it and find something that does."

She said the center is fortunate to have the high quality instructors it does and that being said citizens need to realize the value of these opportunities.

"They want you to get something out of it. They're not just there," Wheless said of her instructors. "We've got this great facility and now we just need the people to come in and take advantage of it."

Zebulon Community Center constantly sends e-mails and notifications to promote its offerings, both new and old. The center is open from 6 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and open until 4 p.m. on Friday.

"We've gone from basically three programs in not the most ideal facility to 10 strong-running programs in a facility that can house all this and more. We just need the people. My hope is you can find something for everyone. If you can't, talk to us and maybe we can create something."