Some of the area’s youngest and most heroic residents are invited to visit the City of Elizabethton Recreation Center Thursday, and boogie on down.

Kids Like Us and Elizabethton Parks and Recreation are partnering together to host the inaugural “Superhero Dance Party” on Thursday, Feb. 8, from 6 to 8 p.m.

Geared to children with special needs, the event is free and open to the public.

Kelly Kitchens, program coordinator with Parks & Rec, said the department was more than happy to sponsor the event.

Since its official opening in January, the Kids Like Us Community Center — located on Rogosin Drive in Elizabethton — has hit the ground running offering different opportunities for children and young adults looking to learn more life skills in a safe and inviting atmosphere.

During the facility’s open house held in December, former East Side Principal Dr. Josh Wandell shared his story of battling ALS and how resources like Kids Like Us can be important for the region.

“The center will depend on community support on a continuous basis,” Wandell said during the open house. “This center will specialize in teaching the children and young adults life skills. Kids Like Us will also be a great benefit to the parents and families of children with disabilities. The center will also allow children and young adults the opportunity to volunteer and serve with Kids Like Us.”

Opportunities like the dance is just one in a long line of events to help provide some fun for individuals part of the Kids Like Us community, according to the organization’s founder Lisa Lyons.

“We are excited to work with Elizabethton Parks & Rec to be able to host this kind of dance for the kids,” Lyons said Monday. “It will be a blessing to see them just dancing and having a good time together.”

Having the ability to have children of all different walks of life participate in different events is important for future development and teaching equality and respect, she added.

The center has stations set up to teach various life skills, ranging from cooking, cleaning and utilization of money. The center will also feature rooms geared for music, sensory and art.

To learn more about the facility, how to register children, or how to volunteer, visit the Kids Like Us Community Learning Center Facebook page online.