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: [email protected]

“Earth Tones connects music-making and the sounds of nature through artistic improvisation and intuition, and active listening. Each concert features two ensembles – a youth-led or emerging group and a more established jazz or improvisational group,” said Joseph Darling, a music curator who conceived the series and is a PFPP board member.

The June 4 Earth Tones concert features the Kris Johnson Group with opening ensemble 26 Cents Flat. Johnson is a trumpeter, composer, and Director of Michigan State University’s Community Music School in Detroit.
The concert takes place at 2:30 pm near the Palmer Park Log Cabin, amid the Palmer Park Art Fair.  Guests are encouraged to bring a blanket and a picnic for the next three free concerts that begin at 5 pm.

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES IN THE SERIES:

• July 16:  Constant Pressure and the  Kaleigh Wilder Trio.
• August 27: Tariq Gardner's Evening Star trio and Djallo Djakate's Inner Ear.
• Oct. 1: Kasan Belgrave Duo and the Michael Malis Trio.

Palmer Park Earth Day
Sunday, April 23, 2023

• Park-wide Clean-Up
• Old Growth Forest Ceremony & Guided Walk
• Aziza Fairy Forest Treasure & Trash Hunt

 
Join People for Palmer Park as we celebrate Earth Day, clean our beloved park, explore the woods, and enjoy friends, family and nature. From grit to magic, we welcome all ages to pick up a bag and help make a difference.
 
Sign up at palmerparkearthday2023.eventbrite.com to volunteer and join us for a day celebrating nature.
 
Spring Cleanup! Spring is upon us and we want Palmer Park to look beautiful and vibrant for the wonderful community of people who enjoy the park. Trash pick-up, weeding, sweeping, raking, and clearing are just some of the ways to volunteer your time and energy! 
 
Aziza Fairy Forest Trash & Treasure Hunt. Earth Day at Palmer Park is also a fun family event, too! For the young ones, sign up to search for the treasures: the tiny, invisible, magical Aziza Fairies from African and their hand-painted doors that will hang from branches throughout the forest trails. Explore the forest pathways and pick up trash to leave the woods sparkling and clean.
 
Old Growth Forest Ceremony! At noon, between the two clean-up shifts, join us to welcome Nick Sanchez from the Old Growth Forest Network. Detroit’s Palmer Park’s Witherell Woods will be inducted into the Old Growth Forest Network and we want to celebrate with you!
 
The 70-acre Witherell Woods in Palmer Park is the largest old-growth forest in the Tri-County area, and one of only seven forests in the City of Detroit. This is quite an honor, since only 5% of U.S. forests remain undisturbed allowing old growth trees and plants to flourish. Following the brief ceremony, Nick and representatives from PFPP will lead a guided walk through the woods.
 
Sign up with your family, community groups or neighborhood associations, work staff, or come yourself! Please help spread the work and invite as many neighbors and friends as you can!
 
Volunteers will be deployed throughout the park to promote social distancing and to cover as much of the park as possible. Choose a two-hour shift or stay for the whole time. Additional information will be sent the Thursday prior to the clean-up with instructions and directions to your location. (Note: Ticket location is a meeting point, not the site where you will be sent to clean-up)
 
People for Palmer Park will be providing gloves, trash bags, tools, hand sanitizer, and light refreshments. Please bring your own water bottle!
 
Invite family, friends, neighbors, co-workers and any other nature lovers in your life! 

The Palmer Park Farmers Market Manager will report to People for Palmer Park, Board President & Board Farmers Market Liaisons. 

The Palmer Park Farmers Market Manager is a part-time position with the purpose to coordinate a weekly Farmers Market and manage the daily operations of the market from setup to tear down during the day of the market. Working in partnership with People for Palmer Park (PFPP), the Market Manager will develop an outreach plan and carry out a seasonal plan for Palmer Park Farmer’s Market. The Market Manager will need to identify and solicit vendors and provide consistent and clear communication with those vendors, including getting applications completed and payments received. Vendors may include farmers, food or dessert providers, flower or plant vendors, and more. The Market Manager will also maintain state contacts, and work with PFPP on community volunteers. The Market Manager will strategize to offer experiences that promote healthy and active lifestyles in and around Palmer Park by collaborating with community partners in the area. 

Duties and responsibilities 
Primary Responsibilities: 

• Identify, solicit and get complete applications and rental fees from market vendors. 
• Periodically, recruit new vendors as stalls are available and keeps a record of goods to be sold by these vendors to provide a select variety of merchandise to the public. 
• Operate the Wednesday market from open to close early June to late September: Market setup, assigning stalls to all vendors, answering guest questions, working with volunteers. 
• Maintain good working relationships with guests, volunteers and vendors. 
• Develop a social media and market outreach promotion plan to surrounding communities. 
• Maintain all market records necessary for the market including sales, receipts, and invoices, snap benefit records and accounts, and coordinates all financial activities with PFPP. 
• Manage volunteer staffing and training: intaking new volunteer requests during the market, onboarding vetted volunteers, and performance feedback. 
• Directs the distribution/arrangement of all vehicles on the market premises or grounds. 
• Upon closing, inspect stalls to ensure vendors have left the area in a clean and orderly condition. 
• Verifies that all local, state, and federal laws are observed, all licenses and permits are valid and current for prepared food and meat vendors and maintains files of the same. 

Qualifications:

• Education: GED or higher
• Specialized Knowledge/Experience: 2+ years applied experience in agriculture, produce marketing, nutrition, dietetics, program development or other applicable fields. Preferable to have farmers market admin experience.
• Skills/Abilities: Leadership, effective problem solving, creative thinking, self-motivation, organizational skills, clear and effective communication, passion and dedication to helping others. - Generate a positive attitude over a long period of time. 
• Working conditions: This position requires regular attendance every Wednesday for market operation. You must be able to pleasantly work with the diverse guests and personalities that attend the market. Ideally, this position begins on April 15, 2022, with 12 weeks being direct management of the active market as the market does not open until early July. The remaining weeks are planning and reporting. Approximately 10-20 hours/week. 
• Physical requirements: Ability to lift 50 pounds, do repetitive tasks and stand for long periods of time. 
• Direct reports: The Market Manager reports directly to the People for Palmer Park designated board members. 

To apply, please send a cover letter and resume to Nikolette Barnes at [email protected]. Application deadline extended to April 15, 2022.
 

Download a copy of this job description

SAVE THE DATE!
Saturday, April 9, 2022
9:30-11:30am 

Detroit Unity Temple
17505 2nd Ave., Detroit 48203
Across from Palmer Park
Follow the PFPP signs for parking & entry

Learn about our accomplishments from the past year, and the exciting updates on our plans for the future in the park!

AGENDA HIGHLIGHTS:

• Hear updates on current park improvement projects:
  Palmer Park Habitat Restoration Project, Farmers Market, Lighthouse/Log Cabin improvements and more
• Committee Reports
• Hear more about planned upcoming events:
  Palmer Park Art Fair, Log Cabin Day, Harvest Fest
• Recreational Programming for 2022 season
• Continuation of the “Rent-a-bed” program at our Urban Educational Garden
• PFPP Board update on completed projects, finances & future goals/planning
• Nominations/Election of new board members

We are seeking board of director candidates for election at this meeting. Specific areas of expertise we are looking to fill include but are not limited to: legal, marketing and communications, fund development/grant writing and a technological type expert. If you would like to get more involved as a member of the Board (you must be a current PFPP member), you can find more information by going to our member page where there is a link to our membership application. 

For a list of current Board and Committee members, visit our Board/Committees page.

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

SW Corner of 7 Mile and Woodward EVERY Wednesday
July through September from 4:30-7:30
Masks and social distancing encouraged

Visit Palmer Park Farmers Market on Facebook and Instagram.In partnership with Eastern Market, Detroit Community Markets and the City of Detroit Parks & Recreation Department, join us each Wednesday at this lovely local market for farm fresh fruits and vegetables and more, rain or shine.

WE ARE ACTIVELY SEEKING ADDITIONAL PRODUCE VENDORS to round out the remainder of the season. Interested or know someone who is? Here is this year's vendor application.


Visit Palmer Park Farmers Market on Facebook and Instagram.