The Woodlands' first YMCA turns 40 in September, and the community that built it is invited back to celebrate.

The Shadowbend YMCA at 6145 Shadowbend Place will host a free 40th anniversary celebration on Monday, Sept. 21, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the facility's gym, according to an Eventbrite listing from The Woodlands Family YMCA. The event falls on the exact date the building first opened in 1986.

The YMCA's roots stretch back nearly a decade before the Shadowbend building existed. The effort began April 1, 1977, as a formal extension of the Conroe YMCA, according to a history published by Woodlands Online. Merlin Maxey, a member of Oak Ridge Baptist Church, served as the first board chairman. Bob Fleming was the first executive director.

The early operation had no permanent home. Doug Earle, who served as executive director from 1981 to 1990, recalled running programs out of a trailer on Sawdust Road that lacked even a restroom. Staff still offered youth sports, aerobics classes, swim lessons and day camp, Earle said in the Woodlands Online account.

The event is free.

When the Shadowbend facility opened Sept. 21, 1986, it brought a childcare center, fitness center, gymnasium, locker rooms, swimming pool and ball fields to what was then the edge of The Woodlands.

Rick Lowry, a board member from 1981 to 1987 who chaired the board from 1985 to 1987, said the institution's real foundation was its neighbors. Lowry recalled in the Woodlands Online history that realtors would drive potential home buyers past the eventual Shadowbend site "to show them evidence that The Woodlands was the place to raise a family."

The YMCA also launched the Run to the Mall in 1994, a Thanksgiving morning race now called Run Thru the Woods. The first race drew about 250 participants; organizers are preparing for 6,000 in 2026. The Dragon Boat Team Challenge, which started in 1999, is sold out for 2026.

Residents who have photos, memorabilia or stories from the YMCA's history can contact Lauren Jelen at 281-367-9622 or [email protected]. RSVPs for the Sept. 21 celebration are available through the Eventbrite listing.

Upcoming community events

  • Monday, Sept. 21 — Shadowbend YMCA 40th Anniversary Celebration, 5:30–7 p.m., 6145 Shadowbend Place. Free; RSVP on Eventbrite.
  • Last weekend of September — Dragon Boat Team Challenge (sold out for 2026).
  • Thanksgiving morning — Run Thru the Woods, presented by The Woodlands Family YMCA.