OXFORD — A snowman contest. Ice skates on loan. A 30-day fitness challenge.

Despite residents missing out on the town’s traditional recreational activities, Recreation Director Patty Hesse has developed new ways to engage community members this winter.

Spring programs were canceled when most of Maine shut down amid the pandemic’s arrival in March 2020. The Station House Community Center on King Street remained closed to the public through the summer.

By September, Hesse was able to open the doors, although the schedule was almost bare of any classes or group gatherings.

“We had to cancel our seniors’ programming, which was Bingo Wednesday, Thursday lunches and monthly potluck meals,” she said. “We normally have as many as six field trips a year, but had to cancel them all. We were not able to hold our annual holiday dinner in December or Oxford’s Bicentennial celebration last summer.”

By fall the Tuesday Crafters were welcomed back. Hess said attendance has fallen off a bit since December, in part because of the rising COVID cases in Maine and some crafters head south for the winter.

Hess restarted crafting classes in October, including sessions to make holiday wreaths, little gnome figures and boxwood tree centerpieces.

This winter there have been exercises classes, crafting table runners, a new ceramics class and Saturday painting sessions.

February’s schedule is posted on the town’s website at https://oxfordmaine.org/town-departments/recreation-department/. Hesse is working on the March schedule.

One disappointment is the covered skating rink next to the center hasn’t opened because it requires two weeks of freezing weather. But Hesse has made the recreation department’s ice skates available on loan so residents can use them. There are multiple sizes still available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Last week, Hesse started a communitywide snowman contest to run until March 20, the first day of spring.

“People can build them in their own yards and send their pictures to me at the Recreation Department,” Hess said. “But we’re also inviting residents to come to the Pismo Beach and ball fields and build them there, so we can fill the whole area with different snowmen.”

Hesse said the community center is open most days for people who want a change of scenery, with reading nooks and books available. Families can take advantage of the fire pit outside, which residents can access days and evenings.

And for those who are leery of spending time in public, Hesse has started a 30-day fitness challenge participants can do at home. They can also join others at the community center on Thursdays from 9 to 10 a.m. Week one focuses on stretching, week two on increasing balance, week three on strengthening and week four putting those three elements together. She hopes to continue the program in the future.

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