DETROIT – The Midwestern Tennis Association is partnering with the USTA’s Southeastern Michigan District, the Motor City Tennis Club, and the Palmer Park Tennis Academy to mark the Juneteenth holiday with a public event that celebrates the past and inspires hope for the future.

The event is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 17 at Palmer Park, 10 Merrill Plaisance St. in Detroit. A one-day USTA Level 7 junior tennis tournament with two co-ed divisions for 14U and 18U will start at 10 a.m.

The event includes tennis drills for all levels using red, orange, and yellow balls, a contest to see who can deliver the fastest serve, historical displays, a catered lunch, refreshments and more!

"We’re teaming up to provide a fun day in the park to honor our past, celebrate our present, and inspire hope for the future," said Leonora King, the executive director and founder of the People for Palmer Park Tennis Academy. "We invite everyone to join us and participate because we know the benefits of coming together as a community to learn, have fun and strengthen our minds and bodies.”

Local attorney Jeffrey Collins, a tennis coach and community leader, is scheduled to give a talk on Ethical Leadership. A longtime tennis player and coach at Palmer Park and Motor City Tennis, Collins received the Dennis W. Archer Public Service Award from the Detroit Bar Association in 2021.

“The goal is to celebrate Juneteenth, and this is our third year doing so,” said Burrell Shields, president of the Motor City Tennis Club. “But it’s much more than that. We provide an educational experience for our participants through our guest speakers and featured exhibits.”

The Palmer Park event focuses on the importance of Juneteenth and celebrates the struggles and achievements of Black people in America, and it also supports the overall mission of these nonprofit organizations to bring the physical and social benefits of tennis to underserved communities in Detroit.
Both Motor City Tennis Club and People for Palmer Park are USTA National Junior Tennis & Learning organizations.

“This year’s Juneteenth event provides yet another opportunity to demonstrate the positive impact tennis has on people of all ages and abilities,” said Michele Burton, executive director of USTA’s Southeastern Michigan district. “There’s no better time to get involved in what I believe is the best sport in the world.
Playing tennis will not only help you to live longer, but it will also provide a healthy and fun way to make new friends.”

About the Midwestern Tennis Association
The Midwestern Tennis Association (MID-TAC), which teaches life lessons through tennis, is celebrating its 100th Year (1923-2023). MID-TAC, a 501(c)3 organization, is the Midwest Section of the American Tennis Association (“ATA” founded in 1916) and has ties to local community tennis in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin and beyond. Find more information on how to support MID-TAC on the website here.

About USTA Southeastern Michigan
USTA Southeastern Michigan is the local district of the United States Tennis Association - the national governing body of tennis in the U.S. We are one of 13 districts that comprise the Midwest Section (headquartered in Indianapolis).

We are a not-for-profit organization committed to tennis and growing the game. USTA Southeastern Michigan is made up of the following counties of Michigan: Hillsdale, Lenawee, Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw, and Wayne. More than 10,000 youth and adults are members of
our District. Learn more by visiting our website here.

Contact:
Joe Tedino, email: jtedino@chicagodistricttennis.com

​Detroit, meet Girl Scouts! At Family Day in the Park, you'll not only have a great time, but you'll also get a firsthand look at how Girl Scouting isn't just another activity—it's a way of life.

We'll have exciting activities for children in grades K–12, like:

• A basketball clinic run by the Detroit Pistons
• Girl Scout programming:
  • Outdoor activities
  • Archery
  • LEGO Derby
• And more!

 
Other FREE happenings for everyone include (but aren't limited to):

• Popcorn, ice cream, and water*
• Live entertainment
• Awesome GSSEM and partner swag (while supplies last)

* Other food and Girl Scout Cookies will be available for purchase.
 
For more information, please email Tiffiny Griffin, Deputy Chief Program Officer, at tgriffin@gssem.org.

Presented by Girl Scouts of Southeastern Michigan, in partnership with Detroit Pistons, Nike, Detroit PAL, Grand Valley State University and Detroit Mercy Dental.

FREE PROGRAMMING JULY 6-SEPTEMBER 4
EVERY WEDNESDAY - SUNDAY, 3-7PM

The Detroit Pistons Foundation partnered with the City of Detroit, William Davidson Foundation, and Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation to create the Neighbors Program in the summer of 2019. The Neighbors Program is an extension of the Pistons' "Basketball for All" initiative through which the Pistons have worked diligently to renovate 52 basketball courts around Detroit and have donated 50,000 basketballs to Detroit's youth. The goal of the Neighbors Program is to encourage Detroiters to enjoy their public parks and outdoor spaces by providing healthy, safe, free outdoor activities for the whole family.

For the fourth summer of the program, the partnership expanded to include the Detroit Parks Coalition. DPC is a collaboration between some of Detroit's largest park organizations and advocacy groups. The DPC works to provide and advocate for clean, beautiful parks and community resources for all Detroiters.


Activities will include: 
Basketball, sports clinics, live music, dance, yoga, art classes and much more!
​
The Neighbors program is proud to contribute to an active, green, healthier future for Detroit.​

The Pistons Neighbors Program takes place in these City of Detroit Parks:
Palmer, Pingree, Chandler, Rouge Park and Romanowski. 

Full schedule here (click Palmer Park tab for our specific programming)
​

Facebook Event: 
https://www.facebook.com/events/676661290303503

In 2020, members of the disc golf community expressed spirited interest in creating an 18 hole course at the south end of Palmer Park where the former back nine of the public course was once located.

Chris McTaggart, lead for the Palmer Park Disc Golf Course was invited to make a presentation at the May 2020 PFPP Board meeting to convince our organization that this was a worthwhile cause we could support and advocate to the City of Detroit. They even hosted a successful Field Day July 31, 2021 to demonstrate the sport and build interest in the community.

We are excited to announce that after many months of planning, fundraising by the disc golf supporters, course adjustments with the City due to the future placement of the historic State Fairgrounds' bandshell and many volunteer hours to install the baskets and prepare the area, the Palmer Park Disc Golf Course is now officially in place.

On December 3, 2021, 18 disc golf baskets, temporary signage and temporary natural tee boxes were installed and play began for many eager groups over the weekend. Formal tees will be installed in concrete by the summer of 2022.

WHAT IS DISC GOLF?
Disc golf is played much like golf. Instead of a ball and clubs, though, players use a flying disc or Frisbee®. The sport was formalized in the 1970s and shares with golf the object of completing each hole in the fewest strokes (or, in the case of disc golf, fewest throws).
A golf disc is thrown from a tee area to a target, which is the "hole." The hole can be one of a number of disc golf targets; the most common is an elevated metal basket. As a player progresses down the fairway, he or she must make each consecutive throw from the spot where the previous throw landed. The trees, shrubs, and terrain changes located in and around the fairways provide challenging obstacles for the golfer. Finally, the "putt" lands in the basket and the hole is completed. (1) 

For more information on the Palmer Park Disc Golf Course, follow their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/PalmerParkDiscGolf

Sources:
(1) Professional Disc Golf Association website: https://www.pdga.com/introduction

WHEN: Saturday, September 11, 2021 from 11am – 4pm
WHERE: Palmer Park near the Community House and Basketball Court

Open to all Detroit and surrounding community families.
Admission to Family Day in the Park is FREE.
Parking is also free and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Family Day in the Park event is a fun-filled event is designed to give families a first-hand look at the exciting Girl Scout experiences available to their girls, particularly girls in grades K-5.​

Girl Scouts of Southeastern Michigan (GSSEM) and partners will present FREE activities for all children who attend:

• Families can see their girls sample some GSSEM Outdoor Education and STEM experiences available to their girls.  All K-12 aged children who attend can participate in the activities. GSSEM and partner organizations will provide FREE Girl Scout programming including robotics, outdoor activities, drone flying lessons, Girl Scouts Olympic style games, Lego Derby and more.
• Special 9/11 Community Service activity to recognize and celebrate first-responders.
• Detroit Pistons will also run a FREE basketball clinic.
• Entertainment includes Mason from 105. 9FM, Detroit Circus Among Us, Detroit Pistons dancers, more.
• Popcorn, ice cream and water will be provided to all attendee FREE of charge.
• Food and Girl Scout cookies will be available for purchase.
• Free swag will be provided while supplies last from GSSEM and partners.

Partner organizations include Detroit Pistons, Detroit PAL, Nike, Grand Valley State University, University of Detroit, School of Dentistry

Website: Girl Scouts of Southeastern Michigan

*** NOTE: WE HAVE A NEW TEXT ALERT NUMBER! PLEASE READ BELOW! ***
TEXT ALERTS FROM PEOPLE FOR PALMER PARK!

Will tonight’s bike ride be cancelled due to rain?
Is the ground too wet this week for yoga or t’ai chi?
Now you can receive instant updates for our recreation programs and events, in text form RIGHT ON YOUR PHONE.

We have a new number for our text alerts. This is due to an exciting upgrade to a more robust system with better capabilities. But it does mean we need you to sign up again at the new number. 

INSTRUCTIONS:
(This is a one time setup and will only take a moment...)

Text “PalmerPark” to the number 888-833-7575.
No quotes, no spaces. It is not caps sensitive. Now SEND.

You will receive a reply that looks something like this:

Welcome!
Msg&Data rates may apply.
Get 10msg/mos of Park Alerts.
Reply HELP for help, STOP to OptOut. 8883483778

Thank you for joining PFPP's PalmerPark keyword group! Please reply with your First Name. Txt STOP to OptOut


Reply with your first name only.
You will receive next msg like this:

Thank you for providing us with your First Name. Please provide your Email for further correspondence.

If you choose to provide your email, you will receive next msg like this:

Thank you! Your email provides us another way to keep you informed about Palmer Park.


Then you're all set!
ALL text alerts will be People for Palmer Park related (weather updates for recreation programs, event reminders), Not spam. Charges may apply, check your individual cellular/data plan.