Andover offers residents a wide variety of recreational activites:

The Andover 13th Street Sports Park is located at 1008 E. 13th Street, 1/2 mile east of Andover Road. The park includes the Andover Community Center, baseball/softball diamonds, multi-purpose fields (soccer, football and tee-ball), basketball court, sand volleyball pit, horseshoe pit, tennis courts, nature path and picnic shelters.

Central Park is located at 1607 E. Central. Residents have access to The Gazebo, walking paths, an ADA accessible fishing lake (Lake George), sheltered picnic areas, modern playground, Arboretum, the Lodge at Central Park and the Conference Cabin. For more information call The City of Andover at 316-733-1303 or visit www.andoverks.com.

The Andover YMCA, a new world class facility in 2009. The Andover YMCA is dedicated to the community and furthering the purpose of building strong kids, strong families and strong communities. The Andover YMCA provides programs for all ages including swim, climbing, dance, gymnastics, group exercise, wellness programs, youth and adult sports, summer day camp, martial arts, full day child care and more.

Residential Parks;

• Andover Village Mini Park
• Andover Heights Mini Park
• Williamsburg & Jamestown

The Andover Community Center (ACC), located south of the 13th Street Sports Park, is available for indoor activities on a structured fee basis. As you drive into the park, you will notice the picnic areas by the creek to the right and the large picnic shelter to the left with a volleyball court. The Grant Nelson Memorial basketball court and horseshoe pits are west of the large picnic shelter area. There are ball diamonds with bleachers, multi-purpose fields (for T-ball, soccer, etc.), and a concession stand with picnic tables by playground equipment.

The Andover Public Library is breaking and setting new records since it opened the doors to its new building last October.  In that time, it has seen a 50% increase in checkouts (from 103,601 to 156,063 and a 30% increase in patrons (from 9,396 to 13,002).  Additionally, there is a 444% increase in Patron Accessible Computer logins (from 4,949 to 26,959), which helps patrons in the library or from home determine which books are offered and are available and to put a hold on specific books.

“When we moved into our new and larger facility we knew to expect growth but, quite honestly, we’ve been nearly overwhelmed by the public’s response to our expanded offerings both traditional and non-traditional,” noted Carol Wohlford, Library Director.
The library’s growth includes necessary additions to the staff; there are now 10 staff members.  A dedicated cadre of 20 volunteers also helps the library run smoothly and be responsive to the patron’s needs, Wohlford explained.  The library also has two large meeting rooms and one smaller conference/board room for use by the community.  Just call Karyn Schemm at 558-3500 to reserve a room for a meeting, party or reception.

One of the non-traditional offerings for the Andover Library is the only first-class public art gallery between east Wichita and El Dorado.  “We’ve already hosted a diverse mix of art exhibits ranging from local school district arts shows to highly accomplished and award-winning local and regional artists,” noted Jim Borger, volunteer exhibit coordinator and award-winning artist.  In its first year, the gallery will present a wide range of art in variety of mediums, including oil, acrylic, fiber, watercolors, and photography.

“When we looked at the design for the new library, we knew we wanted to offer an art gallery specifically to showcase student art and to provide a much needed venue for local and regional artists,” explained Wohlford.

Local artists interested in exhibiting can go to the library website www.andoverlibrary.org and click on the art gallery link for an online application.  A volunteer arts advisory committee reviews all applications.

Another non-traditional library offering is the Scooter’s Coffee Shop where patrons are greeted with a big smile and friendly smile from Alice, the Barista.  “I’ve met some of the nicest people I’ve ever known,” Alice says and some of her regulars include school administrators, City staff and council, Chamber board members and business people.

“Our patrons told us they wanted a coffee shop in the library and we’re pleased we were able to partner with Scooter’s to provide this service, which adds one more element to the library as a destination place for the community,” Wohlford said.

Scooter’s has been offering live music on Thursday nights and will be booking more talent into the fall.  Show times and acts will be posted at the coffee shop.  Scooter’s has both inside and outside seating and offers various food items in addition to its array of coffee and specialty drinks.  All Scooter’s products are available for catering business meetings, business appreciation events, private parties or other special events and celebrations.

We invite all Chamber members to be a part of breaking and setting records at their Andover Public Library, Wohlford said.