Spotlight: Hopkins Activity Center
by Nora m. Davis (HBCA) 
—July 2009
Susan Newville, Sharon Nelson and Debbie Vold of the Hopkins Activity Center
The Hopkins Activity Center is one of the reasons Hopkins is such a special community! I met with the trio who keep this facility humming—Coordinator Susan Newville, Assistant Coordinator Debbie Vold and Secretary/Receptionist Sharon Nelson.
First they shared a bit of history. The Center, located at 33 14th Avenue North, was originally the Hopkins South Junior High. When the school was closed in 1977, it was purchased by the National Housing Partnership, who began a conversion to housing, with 66 apartments and 33 townhomes. Having no use for the gym and surrounding spaces, they donated the space to the city of Hopkins. A decision was made to use the facility as a community center, and the Center opened in 1981. In 1990 the Center was closed for renovation and updating, with upgrades to the heating and electrical systems and installation of air conditioning.
The Center is a busy, busy place, with a variety of activities from exercise classes (or meet with Personal Trainer Ben Walker) tap dance lessons, Digital Camera Lab, Computer Lab, Book Club, and Scrapbooking Club. Members can stop at the Center to use the Fitness Equipment, play Bridge or Cribbage, have their hearing screened or blood pressure checked, then grab a cup of coffee before heading out on their bikes with the Minnetonka Hopkins Senior Bicyclers. Travel is important—with trips planned to Turtle Lake Casino, St Cloud (Clemens and Munsinger Gardens plus the Stearns County Museum) and Lanesboro. A trip to Mackinac Island is scheduled for Fall 2010.
I asked about membership and was told that membership was open and available to anyone in the area. According to Susan, “This is a new generation of 'seasoned adults'—they’re more active and more willing to travel to different communities for the activities they’re interested in. We have members from a number of surrounding communities.” Membership is just $26 per year. Non-Members pay $1 more per time to participate in activities.
Membership activities are just part of the story, however. The Center is home to a number of businesses, groups and organizations who rent the facility. A round dancing club, a church group, and numerous men’s basketball teams call the Activity Center home. And with a commercial kitchen on-site, the facility works well for wedding receptions, graduations, birthday parties and family reunions. (Our own Hopkins Business & Civic Association utilizes the Center as a rain location for Music in the Park.)
When asked what was special about the Center, the response was “partnerships!” Local lawyers provide consultations, Hopkins Center Drug does “Managing your Meds”, a cell phone rep comes in for consults, and Ron Doran from the IT department in Hopkins facilitates a computer discussion group.
It was obvious that this enthusiastic crew loves what they do—all of them have been with the Center for twenty plus years!
Interested in learning more? Call 952-939-1333 or email activitycenter@hopkinsmn.com and they’ll send you a complimentary newsletter. You can also check them out on the web at www.hopkinsmn.com/activitycenter.
