Spring has arrived, and I encourage all to get outside and enjoy our wonderful Voorhees parks.
Connolly Park, located on Centennial Boulevard, is a 49-acre oasis. Acquired by the township in
2001, it contains two dog runs, one for large dogs and one for small dogs; a half-mile lighted
walking and jogging track that includes workout stations; a large grass field for multi-sport
usage; a cricket pitch with synthetic turf; and three open-air picnic pavilions, including one
adjacent to the playground with picnic tables and a tot lot. Connolly Park is also the home of our
summer concert series.
Lions Lake Park is located on Dutchtown Road off of Route 73 and has a community banquet
facility and a playground with an adjacent open-air pavilion and picnic tables. The park is also
home to the Voorhees Girls Softball Association, with four, fully lit fields.
Kirkwood Park, located along Laurel Oak Road behind the Holiday Inn Express, has a lighted
softball field, paved walking path, three full basketball courts, a children’s playground, a multi-
purpose field, two bocce ball courts, picnic tables and restrooms. The township also
permanently preserved the adjacent 14-acre Kirkwood Forest, enhancing and ensuring the beauty
of this natural setting.
The Maiaroto Sports Complex on Echelon Road is home to the Voorhees Soccer
Association and the annual Memorial Day soccer tournament, one of the largest in the
country. The complex includes seven soccer fields, including three with artificial turf that are
fully lit. It also offers a recently added children’s playground with a rubber safe surface; two
pickleball courts and a tennis court; and a full basketball court, as well as a fully operational snack
bar with restrooms.
Home of the Gibbsboro Voorhees Athletic Association (GVAA) is the Rabinowitz Baseball
Complex, located along Kresson Road, with six fenced baseball fields. Sprinturf Diamonds
have been installed on the Babe Ruth and Majors fields. Four of the fields are fully lit. The
complex also includes a children’s playground with swings as well as a snack bar and restrooms.
Eastern Junior Vikings Football and Cheer and the Voorhees Lacrosse Association use the
Giangiulio Recreation Complex located along Victor Boulevard. The complex includes a lighted
athletic field with synthetic turf that is used year-round, a baseball field with lights, a
lacrosse wall and a fenced playground. Giangiulio also includes a snack bar and restrooms.
John Hale, Sr. Memorial Park is at the site of the former township Department of
Public Works sewer plant on West End Avenue in the Ashland section of town. In partnership
with the Ashland Residential Coalition and with a grant from the Camden County Open
Space Advisory Board, a playground with swings and a picnic pavilion was installed. This park
connects to Ashland Woods, a 20-acre tract of forest permanently preserved by the township.
The historic 140-acre Stafford Farm was acquired by Voorhees in 2004, in partnership
with the county and state.
Half of the property will always be preserved as open space. It is home to the Stafford stagecoach walking trail and a disc golf course. The other half is permanently preserved for agricultural and farming use. In March 2021, the agricultural portion was purchased by Bill Green, who invested significant funds to improve the site and open the Saddlehill Winery & Vineyards. Saddlehill had its grand opening in April of last year. Visitors can enjoy estate-crafted wines, farm-to-table culinary delights and a peaceful
escape from everyday life.
The neighborhood playgrounds maintained by the township are Green Ridge Playground on
Round Hill Road, Elliot Playground on Elliot Drive in the Beagle Club, Sandpiper Playground
on Willowbrook Way in the Avian Section and Cornell Drive Playground in Lake Villa. A
pickleball court was added to the Green Ridge Playground and Voorhees also maintains one full
court and two half-court basketball courts at the Sheppard Road Basketball Park off Centennial Boulevard.
The township committee will continue to improve our park system. All the parks
are smoke free and maintained without the use of pesticides.
The annual free rabies clinic will be held on Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon at the Lions Lake Complex. For more information, contact the township clerk’s office at (856) 429-7757 or email pets@voorheesnj.com
