The Lion’s Club in Stanley has shown their dedication and servitude to the citizens of Stanley in countless ways, thus fulfilling their mission as good citizens to strengthen their communities and improve the lives of others. Most recently, the Stanley Lion’s Club updated the tennis courts at Chapman Park by hiring Peterson Sealcoating and Power washing from Eau Claire to resurface and paint the courts. On August 17th Lion’s Club President Jewell Lahner and members Dave Jankoski, Jim Jones, Gary Krueger, Dorothy Goodman, along with local resident Tim Troyer painted the lines for the tennis courts.  

Lion’s Club member Jim Jones described how the initial idea for repairing the court began. “The idea started with the SCA. The Stanley Community Association wanted to paint lines on the court for pickleball,” he began and added that the Lions thought that the courts should be fixed first as they were in bad condition with giant cracks. He explained that the City of Stanley’s Public Works employees put multiple days into cleaning the court and repairing all the cracks before it was seal coated. “John Hoel and his crew did a really nice job,” he commented.  

The City of Stanley will install new nets for the courts and members of the Stanley Lion’s Club and the Stanley Community Association painted pickleball lines on Monday. With the cost of the Lion’s Club project adding up to approximately $2,000, the pickleball courts are expected to be ready for action this week.  

Pickleball is thought to be the fastest growing sport in America and its popularity is exploding. The number of people playing pickleball grew by 159 percent over three years to 8.9 million in 2022, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association. Pickleball is described as a combination of badminton, ping pong, and tennis, and new courts are popping up in communities all over the United States. The new sport appeals to a large audience because it’s low impact and easy to play at all skill levels.  

Thanks to the hard work of the Lion’s Club and local community members, pickleball at Chapman Park is sure to be a hit!