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"We're a growing community with very few amenities. You know, over the years, we've added parks and trails and different things. And this is just another addition to the community to give our folks more to do."

Mayor Bill Edwards said that to 40/29 News in July, at the groundbreaking for Centerton's recreation center. The city's population, by its own estimate, has grown from 17,792 at the 2020 Census to 29,493 this year, so "very few amenities" describes a gap that has widened quickly. The city has been filling that gap by tying projects together. A park leads to a pump track by trail, the dog park opens onto the BMX course, and a trail contract heads toward Bentonville's network. Each new project is being linked to one that already exists.

This fall is a good time to see how those pieces fit, starting with the city's biggest family night of the season.

Halloween in Centerton Is Friday, October 30, at Kinyon

Centerton Public Works is hosting Halloween in Centerton on Friday, October 30, from 5 to 9 p.m. at Kinyon Sports Complex. The event listing on NWAThingsToDo includes a trunk or treat, a costume contest, and an Addams Family movie afterward. The event also appears on the City of Centerton's October 2026 calendar.

Kinyon is on Gamble Road. Plug the complex name into your map app, because the event listing gives the address as 1698 Gamble Road and the city's parks page lists 1598. The city's parks page lists four baseball fields, a soccer and football field, and a small playground at the complex. That's a lot of open, flat ground for a trunk or treat, and it means younger kids can head to the playground between rounds of candy.

For families planning the evening, the listing covers three parts within the 5 to 9 p.m. window:

1. A trunk or treat.
2. A costume contest.
3. The Addams Family movie afterward.

Kinyon is built for scheduled events: games, tournaments, and nights like this one. The newer parks a few minutes away are different. You don't need a reason or a schedule to go, and that's where the connections start to show.

One Parking Lot, Three Ways to Ride

Cornerwoods Park at 1061 Queen St. officially opened May 31, 2025, with a public grand opening that KNWA covered. The station reported the park covers 9.6 acres. The city describes it as an all-inclusive, wheelchair-accessible park with public restrooms, drinking fountains, public parking, and access to public trails. In Mayor Edwards' 2026 State of the City address, he credited a $300,000 grant with helping pay for the updated playground equipment. He also listed a BMX track, lighting improvements, and a designated fishing area as part of the project.

Cornerwoods is designed so that one visit can turn into several stops.

• The BMX course. The city calls it a "small trick/ramp course," so it suits kids learning to handle a bike off flat pavement.
• The Centerton Pump Track, 1251 Seba Rd. It's open to the public, and the city says you reach it from Cornerwoods by a connecting trail. According to the Track! pump track directory, it was built by Velosolutions, has an asphalt surface, and runs 162 meters of berms, rollers, jumps, and transfers. The directory gives a different street number for the track than the city does, so use the city's address.
• Keller Road Dog Park, 300 Keller Rd. The city's parks page lists separate sections for large and small dogs, safety gates, public parking, and direct access to the BMX trail.

Because everything is this close together, a family can split up here. One kid rides the ramps, another loops the pump track, and someone walks the dog nearby, all without getting back in the car. For a parent who wants an hour outside after school before it gets dark early, that setup does a lot of work.

The Rec Center Is Going Up on Keller Road

Those connections become more important once you look at what is being built next. The City of Centerton broke ground on its recreation center on Monday, July 13, 2026. 40/29 News reported that the site sits just south of the intersection of Keller Road and Kinyon Road. That puts Centerton's largest recreation investment on the same road as the dog park and the Cornerwoods area.

Here is what the station reported is planned:

Mayor Edwards told the station the site has room to grow. He said it could eventually add a bigger basketball court, a bigger pool, an amphitheater, and a trail around the entire property. The station reported that construction is expected to take 14 to 16 months, with a target of early 2028 for completion. Until then, the outdoor parks on Keller and Seba Roads are what this part of town has for cold-weather afternoons.

A trail around the rec center property would link it to its surroundings the same way the Cornerwoods trail links to the pump track. For now, the mayor has mentioned it only as a possibility. The project with an actual contract is on the other side of town.

McKissic Trail Is Headed for Bentonville

On July 14, 2026, the Centerton City Council voted unanimously to accept the bid of Rowan and Sons Contractors of Helena, Arkansas, for Phase 2 of the McKissic Trail, in an amount not to exceed $660,000. The council minutes show that Halff Associates provided a letter of recommendation listing the bids.

In the State of the City address, the mayor said Phase 2 will follow Allen Road to Town Vu Road, where the City of Bentonville will continue the trail. The city also secured a $500,000 grant for construction. Set against the $660,000 cap in the contract, that grant covers a large share of the cost.

The trail starts from McKissic Station Park at 301 Allen Rd., which the city calls its main park. It has the splash pad, a large covered playground, a walking trail, disc golf, and access to a small lake and stream where fishing is permitted and swimming is not. The State of the City address said the park got shade structures over the splash pad and improvements to its playground equipment. In cool weather, the disc golf course and the walking trail by the lake are the main draws.

Once Phase 2 is built, McKissic Station Park becomes a trailhead toward Bentonville's network. Cornerwoods already leads to the pump track, and the rec center is going up on Keller Road. Each new project links to something that already exists.

The quieter civic gatherings happen downtown. The old City Hall on Main Street has been remodeled in the rear for the senior citizens group and hosts Coffee with the Mayor. The next sessions on the city calendar are Saturday, November 21, and Saturday, December 19, both at 9 a.m. Those mornings are a good chance to ask the mayor directly when the McKissic Trail crews will start work.

Once the McKissic Trail and the rec center are built, which of these places you can reach on foot or by bike will depend on which side of Centerton you live on. If you'd like to talk through which parts of Centerton put those places within walking or biking distance, Hello Home NWA is glad to help. Let's Find Your Place in NWA.