Sat. Nov. 12: Playing Courts at Lee Park East Opening – Free! Join us!
Lee Park and Arlington Hall Conservancy is bringing back “The Game of the Century,” Roque. Free and open to the public. Refreshments service 10:00 a.m. – noon
Completion of the restoration of the Lee Park East Roque Courts has been in partnership with the City of Dallas. These courts where originally build in the 1930s as part of the Public Works Projects under President Roosevelt. In keeping with the history of the courts, The Conservancy has restored one of the courts back into its original use. Two of the remaining courts have been restored into multi-use courts for games such as bocce, croquet, horseshoes, and petanque. The last court was transformed into a putting green with eight holes and rough edges. These courts will be open for use starting November 12, 2016.
When: Saturday, November 12, 10:00 a.m . Refreshments. 10:30 Remarks. 10:45 Open Play on Courts
Where: 3334 Turtle Creek Boulevard Lee Park East. SE corner of Hall Street and Turtle Creek Boulevard
Who: Gay Donnell, President & CEO, Lee Park & Arlington Hall Conservancy;Willis Winters, Director of Dallas Park & Recreation; District 14 City Councilman Philip Kingston
Notable Attendees: Gale Sliger and Paul Dyer, who lobbied for City Bond funds to restore the courts.
Other Key Attendees: Larry Hysinger, Chairman of the Board, Lee Park & Arlington Hall Conservancy; Max Wells, Chairman of the City of Dallas Park Board; Paul Sims, District 14 Park Board Representative;Larry Hochberg, Dallas Park & Recreation Board Liaison to Lee Park & Arlington Hall Conservancy.
Major League Bocce and the Dallas Petanque Club will be on two of the courts with active play and demonstrations.
Event Description: The Courts will be open to the public during usual City park hours (5:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m.). This event celebrates the restoration of the historic courts and their adaptation for use for may types of nostalgic games. See “The Courts” below.
Information: www.leeparkconservancy.org or call 214-521-2003
Facebook: Lee Park & Arlington Hall Conservancy and Lee Park Junior Conservancy. Instagram.
History of Roque:
Roque was created in 1899, by Samuel Crosby who suggested that the “c” and “t” of croquet be dropped and the American version of croquet was created. The game is played on a hard court with boundary walls and arches that are permanently placed. The mallet that is use has one soft rubber end and one hard wood or metal end. The game also became more scientific and is perceived as the most scientific outdoor game. The game grew in popular with the help of courts being built across the nation during the Great Depression under the Public Works Projects. Roque was even included in the 1904 Summer Olympic, in place of croquet. The game slow lost popularity and by 2004, the American Roque and Croquet Association canceled tournaments. Today, there are only four known active Roque courts in the nation.
Links to the Official Rules:
Rules of Bocce: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7LIXws2SObdNEprNGgzSEVwTFk/view
Rules for Croquet: http://www.croquetamerica.com/croquet/rules/
Rules for Horseshoes: http://www.tridelec.com/tony/WESTPORT/horseshoe_rules.html
Rules for Outdoor Shuffleboard: http://www.shuffleboardcourt.com/rules-shuffleboard-game-us-ca
Rules of Petanque: http://www.labouleny.com/pdf/OfficialRulesPetanque2011E.pdf
Rules for Roque: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=loc.ark:/13960/t9765xp9w;view=2up;seq=6
History: In 1909, the green space now known as Lee Park was purchased by the City of Dallas and is the city’s second oldest park. The Lee Park & Arlington Hall Conservancy was formed in 1998, modeled after the Central Park Conservancy in New York. The purpose was to allow this non profit to raise funds and oversee the restoration of Arlington Hall and the elevation of landscaping and care of Lee Park.
