SERVE IT UP: Pickleball

Pickleball is an exciting game for players of all ages and abilities. It is often referred to as “the fastest-growing sport that no one knows about.” It’s a racquet sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis and it can be played with two, three or four players.

If you already know how to play but want to know where in the area you can play, there are several places, including the following:

• Discovery Middle School inside courts

• Discovery Middle School outside courts (four of the tennis courts are painted for pickleball)

Alexandria Area YMCA

• Blind Squirrel Pickleball Club (This is in the northeast corner of the Aagard Fabrication Center, which is also known as the former Kmart building.)

• Alexandria City Park (There are eight outdoor courts.) The outdoor courts are free to play on, while the cost to play on the indoor courts varies.

Located on the corner of Eighth Avenue and Broadway Street, Veterans Memorial Park is a beautiful landmark and a source of contemplation and inspiration for all visitors.

This park is the dream child of a group of veterans and has been built through the donations from individuals and organizations and grants.

The focal point of the memorial is a life-size granite replica of the Liberty Bell standing in the middle of a 60-footwide pentagon star representing the five main branches of the Department of Defense. The bell and base are about 9 feet tall, about 6-1/2 feet in diameter and weigh about 40,000 pounds.

Nine flagpoles display the flags of the United States of America, POW-MIA, Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, Merchant Marine and the Minnesota flag.

Standing in the park are stone memorials containing the names of veterans, past and present, dating back to the Declaration of Independence. To date, more than 7,000 names have been compiled, with nearly 3,000 still living in the county.

Design highlights

Granite tablets honoring all donors who contributed over $200.

A single granite tablet honoring veterans of Alexandria Industries.

• Engravings in granite on the base of the Liberty Bell list “freedom, honor, justice, liberty and peace.”

• The motto, “Let No Veteran Be Forgotten,” is affixed to the Veterans Wall of Honor.

• Special bronze plaques honor John Wedum, Terence Kjos, veterans of Douglas Machine, and combat veterans.

• A granite tablet honors Special Combatants, acknowledging names of local veterans exposed to extraordinary hardships while defending the country.

Granite benches recognizing individual veterans – Dorothy Lee, Joe Koopman, Leander Hens, Louis Grosenick, Virgil Batesole, Warren Gust and sons of Gust.

• A Veterans Wall of Honor includes seven 24-inch bronze service insignias: Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard, National Guard and Merchant Marine.