Ribbon Cutting Planned for New Pickleball Courts

Ames Parks and Recreation Department, in collaboration with the Ames Pickleball Club, will be hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the new pickleball courts at Emma McCarthy Lee Park. This event will take place at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 27 at the park, located at 3400 Ross Road.

Two tennis courts were converted to six dedicated pickleball courts. The project included new fencing to separate the courts, as well as new nets and net posts. The remaining tennis courts were resurfaced with new boundary markings to be used as both tennis and pickleball courts. The Ames Pickleball Club is donating windscreens and a storage box for portable nets.

"We're excited to offer these new courts to our growing population of pickleball players," said Keith Abraham, Director of Parks and Recreation "Pickleball is a fun sport and we have seen more and more demand by community members for additional places to play. While all tennis courts at City parks are striped for pickleball, this project provides the first dedicated courts."

Prior to and after the ribbon-cutting celebration, the Ames Pickleball Club will be providing pickleball demonstrations and lessons (9 to 10:45 a.m.), offering free refreshments, and holding a drawing for prizes.

The Parks and Recreation Department manages 40 parks and offers approximately 200 athletic, aquatic, instructional, and wellness programs. Indoor programs are provided year-round at the Community Center and Ames/ISU Ice Arena. For more information on Ames Parks and Recreation, please call the Community Center at 515.239.5350.

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