Phillips Avenue Transforms for Pickleball: Phillips Avenue in downtown Sioux Falls will close to vehicles this Friday evening for an Open Streets event. From 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., people can enjoy wellness activities like pickleball, yoga, and CrossFit between 6th and 7th Streets. The event is organized by Downtown Sioux Falls and AARP South Dakota.
Remedy Pickleball Pub will set up a pop-up court in the Raven parking lot as part of the event. Visitors can try the game using loaner paddles and balls.
Wellness Activities for All Ages
This Friday’s Open Streets event focuses on health and fun. Along with pickleball, there will be CrossFit and yoga sessions for people to join. Kids’ activities, face painting, and even a monster truck will be part of the fun.
“Put on your shorts and your T-shirts. We’re going to be doing crossfit, we’re going to be doing yoga. There’s actually going to be a monster truck here, which is not really wellness related, just fun. There’s going to be face painting, kids activities, Parks and Rec will be coming out with their mobile rec unit.” – (Brandon Hanson)
Geneva Olson, Manager at Remedy Pickleball Pub, said,
“We’ll have it taped off with the lines and nets out and some loaner paddles and balls and just have the opportunity to come and play and learn the game a little bit.” – (Geneva Olson)
Building Community and Future Growth
Brandon Hanson, CEO of Downtown Sioux Falls, said the event aims to bring more people to the area and help local businesses. The goal is to show what the space could look like if it was filled with people and attractions.
“This is pretty underdeveloped. If you have ever walked in this stretch of Phillips Avenue, there’s not retail, there’s not food and beverage. It’s really kind of this desert in downtown and we want to show that it doesn’t have to be that way, and there’s future projects that are being talked about in these blocks, so what does it look like when we fill it with people and design it to be people first?” – (Brandon Hanson)
Pickleball for Everyone
Geneva Olson believes the game of pickleball helps bring all ages together.
“You can be 70 and play this game and you can be 15 and play this game and have fun. And so it’s really an awesome opportunity for people to get out and get moving. Be social.” – (Geneva Olson)
Traffic Changes and Event Schedule
The pickleball event runs from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., with the road closing at around 4 p.m. The activities are free and open to the public.
News in Brief: Phillips Avenue Transforms for Pickleball
Downtown Sioux Falls will host an Open Streets event on Phillips Avenue this Friday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. with wellness activities like pickleball, yoga, and crossfit. Remedy Pickleball Pub will offer a pop-up court. The event encourages people to explore downtown and imagine future improvements.
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