Recreation and entertainment

Recreation

The Copperas Cove Parks and Recreation Dept. runs everything from tee-ball to water aerobics.

Located in the Turkey Creek Activity Center, 1408 Golf Course Road, the center is the site for low-impact aerobics classes and "Tuesday Night Out" adult activities. The department also sponsors an annual NFL Punt, Pass, and Kick contest. Other activities include a major league soccer camp, a summer track team, a swim team, and softball league play for adults. City sponsored aquatics programs include lessons, senior swim times, and an "aqua trim" water aerobics program. Sports information is available by calling 547-9247. Parks and Recreation events are outlined on an information hotline, 254-554-7271.

Copperas Cove City Park is the gem in the Parks and Recreation crown. Located on FM 1113 (1200 W. Avenue B) west of the downtown area, City Park is home to six ball fields, soccer fields, a sand volleyball court, a pool, two basketball courts, a recreational vehicle park with full hook-ups, several picnic areas, and a fishing pond. Parks and Recreation provides and maintains the fields for the Copperas Cove Youth Recreation Council who runs the baseball and softball programs for youths ages four through eighteen. Registration for softball, open to girls between 9 and 14, starts in February with games beginning in April and running through June. Youth baseball, for children 9 through 14 follows basically the same schedule, as does tee ball for kids 4 though 8, and coach-pitch ball for kids 6 through 8.

There are also many sports and activities offered through the Boys and Girls Club and the YMCA. Call the YMCA at 254-547-7181 or the Boys and Girls Club at 254-547-5578 for more details.

On any given weekend in Copperas Cove, you will see numerous cyclists and runners who visit Copperas Cove to train for bicycle and foot races on our farm to market and county roads. Cove is in the middle of miles of scenic, well-maintained, traffic-free paved roads. Find more information on Bike / Run Central Texas.

The Copperas Cove Chamber of Commerce offers 25 bicycle or running routes ranging in distance from 10 miles to 100 miles, loops that start or end in the Copperas Cove area.

Looking to hit the links in or around Copperas Cove?  Check out Golfing in the area on our golf page.

Entertainment

Where community celebrations are concerned, Copperas Cove takes a back seat to no other city. Folks here enjoy quality family entertainment and have created events to make sure the good times roll on throughout the year.

Each spring - on the third weekend in May - the Copperas Cove Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau presents the Annual Rabbit Fest. Held in City Park, this 4 day festival features a top-quality carnival, dozens of food booths, kiddie land, petting zoo, car show, Wild West shows, and arts and crafts vendors. There is also live entertainment throughout the fest on an open-air stage. Visit Rabbit Fest Online at www.rabbitfest.com.

In the fall is the Gallop or Trot at the Gap, a 5K, chip-timed race sponsored by Copperas Cove Chamber of Commerce. The route takes racers through the city park and the gentle rolling hills in Copperas Cove's residential area.

But wait -- we have more! Close out the fall season with this community favorite: Hold on to your souls as you travel past ghosts, demons, witches and who knows what else ... in the creepy backdrop of Ogletree Gap Park, ride on a hay filled trailer through thrills and chills. Experience all the excitement of the Annual Spook Spectacular.

Finishing up the year in style is the Copperas Cove Downtown Association’s annual Krist Kindl Markt holiday bazaar. The association opens the downtown area to dozens of vendor booths that offer visitors a wide variety of gift ideas and a plethora of seasonal food items in an outdoor setting. The bazaar runs Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday on the first full weekend of December. Saturday is highlighted by the annual Chamber of Commerce Children’s Christmas Parade, marking the first official appearance of Santa Claus in the Copperas Cove area.

For further information on Copperas Cove festivals or events, contact the Chamber of Commerce at 254-547-7571.