Did you know that North Carolina has the largest Senior Games competition in the country? Now’s the time for senior adults to sign up to be a part of the 2026 games, which has individuals 50 and older in friendly competition in such popular games as cornhole and table tennis, just to name a few.
For one registration fee – $15 Early Bird registration goes up to $20 after Feb. 16 – participants can play in as many of the games as they’d like, according to Michael Patterson, Kerr-Tar Region Senior Games co-coordinator.
Patterson is teaming up with Kerr-Tar COG’s Crystal Allen to make sure the five counties in the Kerr-Tar region have a great experience with the Senior Games, which take place Mar. 15-May 15 throughout the region. Vance, Granville, Warren, Franklin and Person counties comprise Kerr-Tar.
The culminating activity, which includes a Silver Arts showcase, will take place at Aycock Rec Center on May 15. Silver Arts gives craftspeople, writers and performing artists a chance to display their interests in everything from quilting and art to line dancing and cheerleading.
Patterson is the Kerr-Tar COG’s Family Caregiver Specialist, and he said the Senior Games is a great event for those in the 50-plus age bracket.
“It’s a holistic approach to keeping the body, mind and spirit fit while enjoying friendly competition,” Patterson said on Wednesday’s TownTalk.
Participants must be 50 on Jan. 1, 2026, to be eligible to compete, so those who turn 50 during 2026 have to wait until next year to sign up, he explained.
A lot of people play for fun and to be in fellowship with others their age, he said.
And then there are those who take it to a more competitive level.
Whether you’re a former athlete who wants to stay active playing sports you love or whether you’re learning new games in retirement, the Senior Games has something for every level of participant.
Local winners can move to state competition that takes place in the fall, and every two years, there’s a national Senior Games.
Granville County’s Ronnie Norwood represented North Carolina at the most recent national event in Idaho to play cornhole. A two-time national champion, the Stovall resident brought home the bronze from the Idaho games.
“He had the opportunity to represent North Carolina on a national level,” Patterson said.
“He loved it so, he took the competition to the state and then to the national” level.
Any time people can come together to participate in physical activity and have some fun at the same time is wonderful, Patterson said.
Playing games, having fun and socializing with friends, he said, is just one way “to ignite and inspire that passion again.”
May 1 is the deadline to submit items for the Silver Arts competition; details are available in the registration packet, Patterson said. They will be judged before the May 15 showcase, so winning entries will be displayed with ribbons for all to enjoy.
Registration is available online at www.torch.ncseniorgames.org, and Patterson also suggests that individuals contact the senior center in their county to find out more about the Senior Games, but also about the various programs and classes that they can participate in at the various locations across the Kerr-Tar region.
Here’s a list of the eight Senior Centers in the Kerr-Tar region:
Vance County- 252.430.0257
Warren County – 252.257.3111
Granville County:
Creedmoor – 919.528.0848
Oxford – 919.603.1930 A
Stovall: – 919.693.3383
Franklin County:
Louisburg – 919.496.1131
Franklinton – 919.494.5611
Person County: 336.599.7484
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