News Releases
Thursday, November 19, 2009 News from the City of Lawrence
(Sent: 2009-11-19 08:08:34)NEWS RELEASES
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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Thursday, November 19, 2009 News from the City of Lawrence
1) City offices to close November 26 and 27 for Thanksgiving; recreation centers holiday hours announced
2) Players swap pick-up games for pickleball matches
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Contact: Megan Gilliland, communications manager, (785) 832-3406
1) City offices to close November 26 and 27 for Thanksgiving; recreation centers holiday hours announced
(Lawrence, Ks) – City offices will be closed Thursday, Nov. 26 and Friday, Nov. 27, in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.
Thursday, Nov. 26 residential solid waste collection will be moved to Friday, Nov. 27. Friday and Saturday commercial collection will be completed as normal.
Parking at meters in downtown Lawrence will be free on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 26-27. Saturday shoppers will need to pay to park during regular hours from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
To report a waterline break on a holiday or weekend, call (785) 843-2685.
The Lawrence Transit System T and T Lift buses will not run on Thursday, Nov. 26 and will return to regular schedules on Friday, Nov. 27. The T will offer a free ridership day on Saturday, Nov. 28.
Parks and Recreation announces hours of operation for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Recreation Centers: East Lawrence Recreation Center, 1245 E. 15th St.; South Park Recreation Center, 1141 Massachusetts St.; Holcom Park Recreation Center, 2700 W. 27th St. and the Community Building, 115 W. 11th St. will close at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 25. All centers will remain closed on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 26.
East Lawrence Recreation Center, Holcom Park Recreation Center and the Community Building will re-open on Friday, Nov. 27, from 12 to 6 p.m. but offices will be closed.
Since there are no classes or sports scheduled open gym hours will be available the entire time the centers will be open.
The centers will resume normal operation hours on Saturday, Nov. 28, which are:
East Lawrence Recreation Center:
7 a.m. to 9 p.m. - Monday through Friday
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. – Saturdays
1 to 6 p.m. – Sundays
Free Play Hours
1:30 to 5 p.m. – Monday through Thursday
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. – Saturdays
1 to 6 p.m. - Sundays
Holcom Park Recreation Center:
7 a.m. to 9 p.m. – Monday through Friday
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. – Saturdays
1 to 6 p.m. – Sundays
Free Play Hours
11:05 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Monday through Friday
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. – Saturdays
1 to 6 p.m. - Sundays
Community Building
7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. – Monday through Friday
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. – Saturdays
1 to 6 p.m. – Sundays
Free Play Hours
1 to 5 p.m. – Monday through Friday
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. - Saturdays
1 to 6 p.m. – Sundays
South Park Recreation Center
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. - Monday through Friday
Closed - Saturday and Sunday
For more information on recreation facilities, please contact Tim Laurent, facilities operations supervisor, at 832-7920.
Special Populations: There are two programs scheduled during the Thanksgiving week – Acting 101 will be held 6:30-8 p.m. Monday, Nov. 23, at Central Junior High School, 1400 Massachusetts St. and Fundamentals of Art class will be held 7-8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 24, at the Community Building, 115 W. 11thSt. Programs resume with a trip on Sunday, Nov. 29, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. to Topeka to the Kansas Expocentre for Disney on Ice. For more information, please contact Annette Deghand, special populations supervisor, at 832-7920.
Adult Sports: There are no programs or league play scheduled for Nov. 25-29. Programs will resume on Monday, Nov. 30. For more information, please contact Bob Stanclift, adult sports supervisor, at 832-7920.
Prairie Park Nature Center, 2730 Harper St., will be closed on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 26-27. It will reopen Saturday, Nov. 28, with its normal operating hours, which are:
Mondays - Closed
Tuesdays through Saturday – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sundays - 1 to 4 p.m.
Regularly scheduled free programs on Saturday and Sunday will be held, which include: Saturday Morning Free Program from 10 to 10:30 a.m. For more information, please contact the nature center at 832-7980.
Aquatic Division: Indoor Aquatic Center, 4706 Overland Drive, will hold the following hours:
Wednesday, Nov. 25
Lap Swimming – 5:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. (Warm Water Workout) – 12 to 1 p.m.
Zero Depth and Children’s Area – 1 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.
Waterslide and Diving Area – 1 to 4:30 p.m.
The center will be closed Thursday, Nov. 26. It will reopen on Friday, Nov. 27, with holiday hours. The Competitive Pool will be open from 9 a.m. to 7:45 p.m. for lap swimming and the Zero Depth and Children’s Area will be open from 1 to 7:45 p.m. The Waterslide and Diving Area will be open from 1 to 7:30 p.m.
The pool will resume its regular operating hours on Saturday, Nov. 28. Regular hours are the following:
Lap Swimming
Monday through Friday – 5:15 a.m. to 7:45 p.m.
Saturday – 9 a.m. to 7:45 p.m.
Sunday – 1 to 5:45 p.m.
Waterslide and Diving Area
Monday – Friday – 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Saturday – 1 to 7:30 p.m.
Sunday – 1 to 5:30 p.m.
Warm Water Workout will take place daily, Monday through Thursday, from 12 to 3:30 p.m. (except Wednesdays 12 to 2:30 p.m.)
Zero Depth and Children's Area
Monday – Friday (except Wednesday) – 3:30 to 7:45 p.m.
Wednesdays – 2:30 to 7:45 p.m.
Saturday – 1 to 7:45 p.m.
Sunday – 1 to 5:45 p.m.
Monday through Friday – 5:15 a.m. to 7:45 p.m.
Saturday – 9 a.m. to 7:45 p.m.
Sunday – 1 to 5:45 p.m.
Waterslide and Diving Area
Monday – Friday – 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Saturday – 1 to 7:30 p.m.
Sunday – 1 to 5:30 p.m.
Warm Water Workout will take place daily, Monday through Thursday, from 12 to 3:30 p.m. (except Wednesdays 12 to 2:30 p.m.)
Zero Depth and Children's Area
Monday – Friday (except Wednesday) – 3:30 to 7:45 p.m.
Wednesdays – 2:30 to 7:45 p.m.
Saturday – 1 to 7:45 p.m.
Sunday – 1 to 5:45 p.m.
Carl Knox Natatorium, located on the campus of Lawrence High School, will be open Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 23-24, for its regular hours – 6:15 to 8:30 p.m. for lap swimming. It will be closed Wednesday through Sunday, Nov. 25-29. It will reopen on Monday, Nov. 30, at its regular operating hours, Monday through Thursday, 6:15 p.m. 8:30 p.m. Carl Knox Natatorium is closed Friday through Sunday.
There are no regularly scheduled programs or classes scheduled during the week. For more information on aquatics, please contact the Aquatic Division at 832-7946.
Recreation Instruction: There are no classes meeting during the holiday.
Special Events: There are no Special Events planned during the week of Thanksgiving.
Youth Sports: There are some Parks and Recreation youth practices scheduled the week of Nov. 23. For more information, please contact Lee Ice, youth sports supervisor, at 832-7940.
Eagle Bend Golf Course: Closed on Thanksgiving and will resume regular operating hours on Friday, Nov. 27. Eagle Bend accepts tee times up to a week in advance. Open from 8 a.m. to dusk. (Hours may be altered due to weather/frost). For more information, please contact Eagle Bend at (785) 748-0600. Individuals may also reserve a tee time online at lprd.org.
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Prepared by: Deepa Sampat, (785) 832-3458
(Lawrence, Ks) - When Roger McCune walked into the gymnasium at the East Lawrence Recreation Center for his weekly basketball game, he never thought he’d swap his basketball for a pickleball racquet – especially because pickleball was a sport he had never heard of before.
“I came early one time and they were making noise,” McCune says. “They invited us to play, and I got hooked from there.”
Pickleball, a mixture of tennis and badminton, is often viewed as a sport for older adults. However, the pickleball group in Lawrence has attracted players of all ages, from those in their 20s to those 60 years old and older. Evan Jorn, Lawrence ambassador for the USA Pickleball Association, says about six players who usually play basketball have joined in on the pickleball matches, including McCune, who is in his 40s.
“They are a little younger than we are and more energetic,” Jorn says. “They start challenging us more and we get better.”
Alex Ott visited the East Lawrence Recreation Center to work out in the weight room. After seeing a pickleball match, the 24-year-old, who played tennis in high school, thought playing pickleball would be a natural transition. Ott enjoys the fast-paced, competitive nature of the sport, and likes playing the game with other people, no matter their age.
“It’s more entertaining than working out by yourself,” Ott says. “It’s competitive for older people to play, too. I can probably hit the ball harder than the older players but they have a lot more skill.”
Pickleball was created in 1965 in Bainbridge Island, which is near Seattle. Co-inventors U.S. Congressman Joel Pritchard, William Bell and Barney McCallum said they invented the sport to provide a fun activity that the entire family could enjoy.
Jorn’s 22-year-old nephew and his friends participate in the pickleball matches every Sunday, and other players often bring their grandchildren to the games.
“It just proves that the games still work as they were designed,” Jorn says. “We have even had teenagers in here from time to time.”
Jorn credits the popularity of the game to its social aspect. Because the size of pickleball courts are much smaller than those of tennis courts, players generally stand only 14 feet apart and are able to talk and joke with each other during the game.
“It’s a blast,” Jorn says. “People are laughing from the beginning to the end of the game.”
Jorn says another attractive element to the game is that it’s relatively easy to learn.
“Unlike tennis, you can be playing well right away,” he says. “It’s easy to keep up an exercise program if what you’re doing is having fun.”
McCune, who, like Ott, used to be a tennis player, prefers pickleball because the smaller courts mean players don’t have to waste time chasing the ball down and are instead able to keep moving. The pickleball group plays games three times a week, and McCune is usually present on all three days. In fact, he’s even chosen pickleball over basketball a few times.
“I’ve missed a few games of basketball because I’ve played this first and got my exercise in,” he says.
To find out more about pickleball options with Lawrence Parks and Recreation, visit www.lawrenceks.org/lprd.
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