Journal Newsletter

Courtside at Bower Place: November Edition

By Lucas Samuels November 3, 2026 3 min read

Coffee & Courts, $10 Learn to Play & meet Laura and Linda

The November edition of Courtside at Bower Place has landed! Read on to see what’s happening at Fairgrounds Bower Place.

Coffee & Courts Social: A morning routine built around good games, coffee and getting to know people at the club. It runs 9–11am, seven days a week (no sessions November 14–15):

Jumble Doubles (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday): rotate partners and opponents, making it easy to meet people and enjoy a mix of games.

Playground (Tuesday): organize your own games and mix and match at your own pace.

Challenge Ladder (Friday): sign up individually, change partners each round and move up or down the courts based on results.

Coffee is included with Coffee & Courts admission. Unlimited members can purchase a coffee for $2.75.

$10 Learn to Play is back for the winter: Mondays and Thursdays, 5–6pm. Paddles are provided and there are eight spots per session. Learn the basics of strokes, rules, scoring and court positioning.

Please register in advance: As we get busier, programs are starting to fill up. Sign up ahead of time, and if you can no longer make it, cancel at least 24 hours in advance to avoid cancellation fees.

Book your holiday party at Fairgrounds: Prime November and December dates are filling fast. Our Events Team handles everything, from game formats and scheduling to food, drinks and on-site support, so all you do is pick a date.

Congratulations, Erin: Erin Tanagras is our new Red Deer Site Supervisor as of October 19. Erin has been part of our team since day one in Red Deer, and her desire to learn and grow and her commitment to building community have led her to this opportunity. We’re proud of her growth and excited to see her take on this new role!

Congratulations, Jonathan: Our General Manager, Jonathan, has been promoted! Alongside leading Red Deer, he’ll be managing our new Fairgrounds Edmonton club, opening in mid-November.

Court repairs complete: Our court crew was back on October 27 and completed a substantial round of repairs, focusing on known dead spots and rips in the surface. Thank you for your patience as we keep improving the playing experience in Red Deer.

This month we’re celebrating Laura and Linda, who carry the spirit of community with them everywhere they go.

They’re welcoming, friendly, fun and gracious, and you can always hear them laughing around the courts. When you meet them, they care far more about who you are as a person than your DUPR rating or a shot that ends up in the net.

They embody so many of the values we hold at Fairgrounds and make pickleball more enjoyable for everyone around them. We could all be a little more like these two, and the world would be a better place.