Downtown Louisville's historic West Main Street gets new sports park

SIX. A VACANT LOT DOWNTOWN IS GETTING A NEW PURPOSE. IT RECEIVED A $25,000 MAKEOVER. AND AS THE DIVIDERS EXPLAIN, IT WILL NOW SERVE AS A PART TIME SPORTS VENUE. NEIGHBORHOOD STREETS ARE NOTORIOUSLY KNOWN FOR HOSTING SPONTANEOUS HOUSE GAMES A WHIP BALL. BUT HOW ABOUT IN A VACANT LOT? RIGHT IN THE HEART OF DOWNTOWN, WHICH, THANKS TO METROPARKS, HAS BEEN TRANSFORMED. NOW IT MAY NOT BE THE SANDLOT, BUT CITY LEADERS ARE HOPING THE SAME SENSE OF COMMUNITY AND THE SPIRIT OF COMPETITION STEM FROM IT. TO HAVE A HEALTHY, VIBRANT DOWNTOWN, YOU WANT TO HAVE SPACES LIKE THIS THAT ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO COME IN, TO BE TOGETHER AND TO CREATE A SENSE OF PLACE AND EXCITEMENT. IT’S CALLED THE BEARD URBAN SPORTS PARK, LOCATED ON MAIN STREET BETWEEN SIXTH AND SEVENTH STREETS. AND IT’S HOME TO THE CITY’S NEWEST WIFFLE BALL, PICKLEBALL COURTS. WHAT WAS ONCE TO BE THE SITE OF MUSEUM PLAZA THE LOT IS NOW 20,000 SQUARE FEET OF OUTDOOR SPACE. HERE WE ANTICIPATE WE SEE NEW FRIENDSHIPS BEING DEVELOPED, PEOPLE PARTICIPATING LEAGUES AND JUST HAVING SOME FUN. SO THIS IS A GREAT, INNOVATIVE AND UNIQUE WAY TO REIMAGINE THIS SPACE. THE PARK PLANS TO HOST PICKLEBALL AND WIFFLE BALL LEAGUES THAT WILL BE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC TO PUT A TEAM TOGETHER AND JOIN THE SEASON WILL BE EIGHT WEEKS OF PLAY. WIFFLE BALL PLAY, SIX TEAMS AND PICKLEBALL UP TO SIX TEAMS. THE GAMES WILL BE HOSTED ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHTS AND THE PARK CAN ALSO BE RESERVED FOR SPECIAL EVENTS. RIGHT NOW YOU NEED A RESERVATION TO USE THE COURT. BUT FLY SHAKER SAYS THEY’RE WORKING ON MAKING THE SPACE MORE READILY AVAILABLE. THEY ALSO HOPE TO EXPAND THE PARK’S PROGRAMMING AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. WE ARE HOPING TO MAKE THIS AN ONGOING ANNUAL SPRING AND FALL LEAGUE THAT WILL CONTINUE. AND WE’RE EVEN TALKING, ADDING OTHER SPORTS TO PLAY. SO I’VE ALREADY HEARD SOMETHING ABOUT HANDBALL AND ULTIMATE FRISBEE. SO IF YOU CAN DREAM IT, WE CAN MAKE IT HAPP

Sitting on West Main Street between 6th and 7th is the Louisville's newest investment Downtown. It's called the Baird Urban Sports Park, home to a regulation-size Wiffleball court and two pickleball courts. The space will host weekly leagues in both sports that will begin in September and run through October.The Pickleball league will take place on Wednesday nights starting at 5:30 p.m., and Wiffleball will be held at the same time on Thursdays. While the park is not currently open to the public, anyone is welcome to create a team and sign up for the leagues. "To have a healthy and vibrant downtown, you want to have spaces like this that encourage people to come and to be together and to create a sense of place and excitement," said Rebecca Fleischaker, executive director of the Louisville Downtown Partnership.The $25,000 project was sponsored by Baird. Louisville Metro Parks and the YMCA of Greater Louisville also partnered with the Louisville Downtown Partnership to make the sports park happen. "Here we anticipate we see new friendships being developed. People participating in leagues and just having some fun," Mayor Greg Fischer said at the park's unveiling on Wednesday. "This street we're on right here, West Main Street, I think is one of the coolest streets in all of America in terms of its authenticity, its facades here, and people come and wonder at our authenticity as a city in architecture here."While the space is essentially an open lot, no other games can be played at the site. Fleischaker said that may change in the future."We're talking about adding other sports to play like handball and Ultimate Frisbee. So if you can dream it, we can make it happen," Fleischaker said. For more information on the league or to sign up and play, visit the Louisville Downtown Partnership's website here.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. —

Sitting on West Main Street between 6th and 7th is the Louisville's newest investment Downtown.

It's called the Baird Urban Sports Park, home to a regulation-size Wiffleball court and two pickleball courts. The space will host weekly leagues in both sports that will begin in September and run through October.

The Pickleball league will take place on Wednesday nights starting at 5:30 p.m., and Wiffleball will be held at the same time on Thursdays. While the park is not currently open to the public, anyone is welcome to create a team and sign up for the leagues.

"To have a healthy and vibrant downtown, you want to have spaces like this that encourage people to come and to be together and to create a sense of place and excitement," said Rebecca Fleischaker, executive director of the Louisville Downtown Partnership.

The $25,000 project was sponsored by Baird. Louisville Metro Parks and the YMCA of Greater Louisville also partnered with the Louisville Downtown Partnership to make the sports park happen.

"Here we anticipate we see new friendships being developed. People participating in leagues and just having some fun," Mayor Greg Fischer said at the park's unveiling on Wednesday. "This street we're on right here, West Main Street, I think is one of the coolest streets in all of America in terms of its authenticity, its facades here, and people come and wonder at our authenticity as a city in architecture here."

While the space is essentially an open lot, no other games can be played at the site. Fleischaker said that may change in the future.

"We're talking about adding other sports to play like handball and Ultimate Frisbee. So if you can dream it, we can make it happen," Fleischaker said.

For more information on the league or to sign up and play, visit the Louisville Downtown Partnership's website here.

Downtown Louisville's historic West Main Street gets new sports park

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