PARIS L. GRAY/Courier-Post Audubon High School junior Ray Lawson plays basketball during gym class recently.

Antique auctions, poetry, fishing, lots of martial arts and, of course, sports.

Audubon's recreational offerings, in a nutshell, are pretty big considering the town has less than 20,000 people.

Take Audubon's Auctioneers of Fine Art and Antiques, located in a former bank on Merchant Street. Not only has the building been renovated, with open space inside to display antiques and art work, but the bank's old vault is still there.

"When the sales are on, it's like a flood of people come into town," Mayor Anthony Pugliese said.

"There's all these little treasures in the place," Pugliese said. "It's really cool."

The next auction is Oct. 7 at 6 p.m.

Of course, if you want something a little more laid-back, there's an active poetry club in town. Retired teacher Craig Burgess - also known for his red, white and blue attire - started it several years ago. The club gathers monthly to share poetry. Writers and observers are welcome, according to librarian Vonnie Martin, who's been to her share of gatherings.

"I've gone there many times, just shut my eyes, and picture the wonderful imagery," Martin said.

The poetry club meets at 6 p.m. on the fourth Friday of every month in the borough's community center.

Elsewhere, Haddon Lake offers a popular hobby that bores many poets - fishing. The Camden County freeholders recently renovated much of the park around Haddon Lake, creating a nearly mile-long asphalt walkway looping around the lake. The fishing piers were fixed and the lake was dredged. Fishers are out there regularly now.

The Audubon Historical Society is busy collecting photographs and other information to publish a history of the town in 2005, the hundredth anniversary of its incorporation.

"We're trying to prepare a pictorial history of the town," said Jack Taylor, a member of the group. "We currently have about 200 pictures."

There still remain other options though, and not just the standard youth sports.

Audubon Community Education offers dozens of classes in topics ranging from martial arts, dance, exercise and sports to art, dance and computers, ACE co-director Dale Meloni said. They even have a "stock market savvy" course taught by a Morgan Stanley analyst, a theater club and a book club. A chess club for younger kids boasts about 150 members, Meloni said.

ACE offers courses for children and adults, with most classes costing between $30 and $50. The program, based out of Audubon High School, is sustained almost entirely by participants' fees.

"We cater to everyone in the community, not just the schools," Meloni said.