Springfield’s Phelps Grove Park to Host Free Family Night Event

In conjunction with National Tennis Month in May, USTA Missouri President Mallory Weber is helping run a free family night at Phelps Grove Park in Springfield on Friday, May 5 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. The fun-filled get-together will feature food, games, giveaways and a learn-to-play clinic at the park’s tennis courts. Learn more about the event and register here.

“In Springfield we’re really lucky, as we have a lot of public parks outside of Cooper,” Weber said. “We wanted to target one in a neighborhood that had a lot of foot traffic. There are courts there, a lot of recreational play and a lot of families who play. Just give them a night where we can play some games and have some learn-to-play clinic events. And people who might have come to the park just to be at the playground may come over to try tennis.”

The community tennis staff from Cooper Tennis Complex will attend the family night to run the clinic. No sign-ups are required as walk-ups are welcome, and the event is open to all ages. While Weber and the Springfield-Greene County Park Board have hosted similar events at other neighborhood parks, this one will be first ever at Phelps Grove Park.

“It really is just meant to be come any time and if you want to try tennis, great, come out and play,” Weber said. “We’ll have cornhole out there and other games. It’s a fun night to spend with your family out in the park even if you’ve never played tennis before.”

The park board received a $250 grant through USTA Missouri Valley to help host the family night. The grant is tied to National Tennis Month and encouraged applicants to create programming in May to spark tennis involvement at the district level.

“We’re going to try to use some of the grant money to get junior racquets, balls and things like that,” Weber said. “So if a family does come and play and they don’t have their own equipment, they can go home maybe with a racquet for their kid or with some tennis balls. So they might come back and try it on their own.”

Weber said she and her team will promote the event via flyers posted in neighborhoods and on bulletin boards at several Springfield-area parks. The family night will also be advertised on the Cooper Complex Facebook Page and on USTA’s website.