MANCHESTER, NH – The world was a different place when the Community Leadership Center at 190 Elm first opened its doors in early 2020. Originally the dream of Jake King and Thrive Outdoors, the basement space under the Training Station Gym was 4,000 square feet of unusable rubble that he and a team of volunteers transformed into a unique outdoors-indoors playground, complete with a wild challenge course, ropes courses, and a bouldering wall.
As the pandemic came along and changed so many of our lives, the CLC and Thrive Outdoors were no exception. After four years of pivots and expanding into different directions, Nerf War battles, boffer fights, homeschool groups, summer camps, birthday parties, corporate trainings, retreats, and recovery programming, East Coast Evolution Leadership was born as the supportive sister company to Thrive Outdoors.
While Thrive Outdoors still exists as the youth and recovery program-oriented wing of the businesses, East Coast Evolution Leadership has made strides in corporate leadership training, event planning, and operations management (including running staffing and operations for the 39 Beech Street Engagement Center, and operations for the Barbara C. Harris Center in Greenfield).
The collaborative heart of both of their missions though, is the The Community Leadership Center. Easy to miss, down a driveway when turning into the Dunkin parking lot, the center has now expanded to 6,000 square feet and includes a stage (where bands can battle or trivia, poetry, or public meetings can be held), an Italian countryside-themed frontroom with bistro tables and bright summery tones, a large open room with walls decorated like a perpetually evolving scavenger hunt where you learn something new every visit (or say hello to their resident turtle, Tilly) or enjoy puzzling through an escape room or crushing your frustrations to bits in a smash room. There is also a new fully padded disaster-themed room where you can escape zombies, sweat through a ropes course that traverses a volcano erupting or a typhoon swirling, or battle Nerf weapons through a Dystopian city.
This Saturday, April 27, East Coast Evolution Leadership and Thrive Outdoors are ecstatic to be able to finally host a Grand Re-Opening that is FREE to the public, and will include a variety of family-friendly activities.
Running from 12-5 PM there will be elaborate scavenger hunts (with prizes), live music performances from the NH Ukeladies and the Daniel Wray Band, treats for purchase from The Smoothie Bus, as well as free face painting, arts and crafts, Nerf Wars, Ropes Courses, a Paint Room tent, and much more.
No tickets are required and parking is available along Elm St.
For more information please visit: https://fb.me/e/59VICwRBM