User:KrooJWG13/Bachman Community Center

The Bachman Community Center is a non-profit social activity center located in the town of Walden, Tennessee. The center houses numerous programs for the residents of Walden's Ridge and the greater Chattanooga area.

History
The Bachman Community Center is located in the former Nathan L. Bachman Elementary School building, built in 1937. The school saw its last students in the Spring of 1999. Beginning in 2000, the Bachman Center Council leased the building to create a community center for the residents of Walden and Signal Mountain, Tennessee.

Since that time the center has grown to house several permanent programs, and has acted as the location for many annual events. Through donations and grants, the Bachman Center Council has continually worked to renovate the historic building that houses the center, which was listed on the National Historic Register on April 17, 2001.

Programs & Events
Bachman hosts a variety of in house programs, including a small community library and thrift shop. The center hosts a "Preschool Story Time" weekly, and runs a summer reading program for area students. A large community garden behind the building is subdivided into plots that can be rented by local residents.

The center is home to several independent groups, including the O-Ten-Talla Girl Scout troop, Tutus & Tapshoes Dance Studio, and the Mountain Art Guild.

Once a year, the center hosts the "Bachman Chili Cookoff," and each summer it runs a variety of summer camps for local students. Other groups use the building and its facilities throughout the year for events and gatherings.

Bargain Barn
The Bachman Bargain Barn Resale Shop is a community thrift store located at the community center. The donations of local residents make up the majority of the items for sale. The center accepts donations seven days a week at a drop off site behind the building. The thrift shop itself is open to the public on the first and third Saturdays of each month.

Bachman Center Council
The Bachman Center Council, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, recognized by the federal government as a tax exempt corporation. It is responsible for the operation of the community center and the renovation of the building in which it is housed.