The Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce will hold its 2013 Annual Meeting from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel & Convention Center.

“The Next Big Thing” themed event highlights the tenure of 2012 Chairman of the Board of Directors Michael J. Schoenfeld of Duke University. Schoenfeld, who is also 2013 chairman, will speak on initiatives for 2013.

The chamber will also present the Civic Honor Award, a recognition bestowed since 1933on an individual who has made extraordinary contributions to our community. This year’s recipient is longtime Durham City Councilman Howard Clement.

Clement, who came to Durham in the early 1960s to work for N.C. Mutual Life Insurance Co., was appointed to the Durham City Council in 1983 and has served continuously since then. The civil rights activist has devoted his life to helping people and helping to advance the Durham community.

Tickets are $55 for chamber members and $70 for nonmembers. To register, log on to durhamchamber.org and click on the Calendar of Events.

Register now for Durham Senior games

Adults 55 years old or better can fulfill their dream to win a gold medal at the 2013 Durham Senior Games and Silver Arts Showcase. The competition will be held across Durham on April 15-26.

Durham Senior Games and SilverArts Showcase is an Olympic style competition designed to give mature adults the opportunity to compete in a host of athletic and artistic activities. Fitness, fun and community building are among the many goals of the games.

Early bird registration is being held now through March 18 and the registration deadline is April 1. The registration cost is $12.50 for city residents with a PlayMore card; $14 for city residents without a PlayMore card; $17 non-city residents with a PlayMore card; and $19 for non-city residents without a PlayMore card. Additional fees apply for the golf and bowling. Early bird registrants will receive $2 off the registration fee.

To participate, athletes and artists must be a Durham resident or on a team with a person from Durham. Applications are available at any Durham Parks and Recreation site including the main office on 400 Cleveland St. or online at DPRPlayMore.org.

On Thursday, April 25, the public is invited to congratulate the athletes and enjoy a host of SilverArts performances at the Celebration of the Games held at the Durham Arts Council on 120 Morris St. from 5 to 7 p.m.

Durham Academy opens gymnasium

With the opening of Kirby Gymnasium on Jan. 22, Durham Academy completed a 15-year master plan for new and improved facilities for students in pre-kindergarten through grade 12.

The renovated and expanded gymnasium replaces a gym built in 1974 when DA Upper School opened with 150 students. This year the Upper School has 406 students in grades 9-12, and the new gym will be available to every student for athletics, physical education or personal fitness.

The Kirby Gymnasium is part of The Evergreen Campaign, a $9 million effort which is also raising funds for the Upper School Learning Commons (opened February 2012) endowment and three years of annual fund. To date the campaign has raised $7.2 million, or 80 percent of goal, from more than 700 donors.

Cutting the ribbon to officially open the Kirby Gymnasium was Ed Costello, DA headmaster; David Beischer, 1985 DA graduate and chairman of the board of trustees; Sara and David Pottenger and Shelayne and Frank Sutton, co-chairs of The Evergreen Campaign; Laura Horton Virkler, a 1991 DA graduate and member of the Kirby family; Charlie Wilson, a 1989 DA graduate and vice-president of C.T. Wilson Construction Company, general contractor for the gym; and Steve Engebretsen, DA athletics director.

Students, faculty, parents, alumni and friends were invited to tour the new facility, which includes a fully renovated gym with air conditioning, new floor, frosted glass windows along two sides of the gym, greatly improved lighting and nearly 300 additional seats. The old mezzanine has been replaced with a spacious trophy hallway, north and south lobbies, public restrooms and a concessions area. An addition to the east side of the gym adds 8,000 square feet for a fitness center, locker rooms, a training room, a workout room, storage, offices and a conference room.