The John A. Walker Community Center is unique within the North
Carolina Community Colleges System. After twenty years of educational service in Wilkes, Ashe and Alleghany
counties, the college led the effort to build this magnificent performing arts and community center.
The citizens of Wilkes County, through their generous contributions,
funded the original construction of the John A. Walker Community Center, which was completed in August of
1984 at a cost of 2.2 million dollars. It currently has 17,000 square feet of multi-purpose meeting space that is
used for management training, business meetings, civic meetings, and a variety of cultural activities, and an
1130 seat performing arts auditorium.
The center has become the focus for our service area's artistic community with plays, concerts, dance
presentations, gospel sings, exhibits, and festivals being presented on a regular basis. A central theme in
all usage of the Center is the fact that many participants of all ages are also students at the college and area
schools. Community life is impacted by the Center in many ways as corporate, small business, civic, political,
religious and educational groups all use the center extensively.
