The next quarterly meeting of the Evergreen Pickleball Club board of directors will be Wednesday, April 3, at 11 a.m. at Wulf Recreation Center. Members are welcome to attend.

Save the date: The annual Evergreen Pickleball Club Spring Social will be held Wednesday, May 15, from 5 to 8 p.m. at The Wild Game in Bergen Park. More details to come.

EPRD Hosts Inaugural Pickleball Tournament

Fourteen doubles teams—mixed, men’s and women’s—competed in the March Madness Tournament March 30 at Wulf. EPRD Recreation Supervisor Jeff Sweet said he hopes there will be many more pickleball tournaments to come.

The top four teams were awarded distinctive homemade prizes, with the championship bracket winners also receiving gift cards from Tuscany Tavern for a celebratory dinner.

Jeff thanked everyone who helped with the tournament, especially Corinne Jackson, who teaches the pickleball classes for EPRD, and Greg Kyle, recreation specialist.

Thanks to Jeff for providing photos of the winners and some of the play.

Championship Bracket 1st place: Raya Panova, left center, and Erin (sorry, couldn’t nail down a last name), with Jeff Sweet and Corinne Jackson

Championship Bracket 2nd place: Dawn Whitmer and Tim 'Mac' McAleer

Consolation Bracket 1st place: Andy Bond, left, and Cody Hayden

Consolation Bracket 2nd place: Roger Miles, left, and Erich Meyer

Local Pickleball Courts: What’s Going On?

Buchanan Park: Consultants are working on designing the park—courts, trails, etc. EPRD Executive Director Cory Vander Veen says there will be a site plan by July. EPC President Bob Kerr hopes for four new indoor/outdoor pickleball courts as part of the project.

These guys were “press ganged” into helping remove snow, at Marshdale then took over Court 2.

Marshdale: A May-ish construction start depends on the weather, so quit snowing already! Or don’t, we need the moisture, right? Right now, courts are open for play—as always, weather permitting. Thanks to the Snow Angels and the hard work of the sun, the final mop-up of the big snowstorm was completed in record time.

Evergreen Middle School: Cory said the rec district plans to manage the EMS courts for pickleball this summer, probably placing the four best nets from Marshdale there. EPC volunteers led by Al Buenning put a lot of work into making those old tennis courts usable for pickleball over the last two summers.

Wulf tennis courts: Nothing new to report on their use during Marshdale renovations and beyond, but stay tuned.

Tennis bubble: New owner Nick Mitchell said a week ago that membership pre-sales had been paused as the bubble has fallen. The opening date for The Signature Club is yet to be determined.

The Wild Game: Al Buenning said the owner decided to delay any two-inch asphalt improvement of the two courts until next year, but the Bergen Park restaurant/entertainment business is going to reseal the surface, paint and stripe the two courts. Next year's fee for pickleball play will again be $25 a person. Al is looking for volunteers to help resurface the asphalt.

Wulf gym: Still busy after all these years, but some more court time for pickleball may be squeezed in while Marshdale is closed to play. Beginners want more than four hours a week and Intermediate and Advanced have their own concerns, but c’mon, people—at least get off the court when your session is over and don’t start early.

EPC Board Agenda: Courts and Some Other Things