Efforts underway to restore Brooksville’s once lively hall
Aug. 30 breakfast will kick off $40k fundraiser for improvements
Inside Brooksville Community Center. Photo courtesy of Harlie Burk.
Aug. 18, 2026
Maizy Weirich
A once lively community center has been quiet for years, but a small team is hoping to bring back the historically active venue in Brooksville.
Phil Wessel, treasurer of the Brooksville Community Center Commission said the center was an important gathering space for residents from the 1950s to the 1980s, where it hosted events like graduations, school plays, sport events and town meetings.
But in recent years, BCCC board chair Harlie Burke said that the center has slowed in activity.
“There had been kind of a lull for a couple years. When I was a kid...15-20 years ago, there was a lot happening in the community center. There were lots of dances, breakfasts, and dinners. And people kind of just got older, and the board dwindled,” Burke said.
Burke, along with other community members, want to nurture and grow the formerly popular gathering space for people of all ages. But key to that is finding funding for necessary upgrades and maintenance.
To do that, the center, which is also ADA-accessible, will host frequent fundraisers, such as a community center breakfast on Aug. 30 from 7-11 a.m. where they will offer breakfast staples of pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, and more for $10. Burke is hopeful about increasing events in the near future, including carnival games, a fall festival, and a Santa Clause meet and greet over the holidays.
Upgrades and repairs include three priorities: a kitchen exhaust fire hood system for $30,000, acoustic ceiling baffles for $16,000, and improved overhead lighting for $5,000.
“We’ve had great support from other community members that aren't even on the board...the road commissioner Darrell Asbury came and painted lines for us....and a Stonington resident, Tyler Barlett, came and helped us replace a door. And Jeff Condon came and also helped do a door,” Burke said.
Burke created a website for the center in January, including opportunities to rent the space, event information, and upcoming fundraisers, as well as a new email: brooksvillecc26@gmail.com.
“We are definitely trying to bring it back to the way it was in its glory,” Burke said. “Brooksville is a happening town, and the community center wants to help that, too.”
Outside view of BCC. Photo courtesy of Harlie Burke.
