ATHOL – Gray skies couldn’t dampen the spirits of the dozens who gathered last Saturday morning for the grand opening of the three newly-resurfaced pickleball courts at Silver Lake Park.

The work, done by MA Sealcoating of Oxford, was done at a cost of about $18,000. Of that amount, the Athol-Orange Rotary Club contributed $10,000, the Town of Athol chipped in $5,000, and the Silver Lake Pickleball Association raised the rest through contributions from local businesses and individuals.

Almost as soon as the ribbon was cut, folks began to pair off in teams to get play underway.

Bill Kessler, president-elect of the local Rotary chapter, told those gathered that the Athol-Orange club will celebrate its 100th anniversary next September.

“So, this is our gift to the community and also to the committee that helped put it together,” he said. “We’re very proud of the donation we made, and we’re very proud of the community that has come together to make this happen.”

Silver Lake Pickleball Association Chair Tim Burgess credited pickleball enthusiasts Charlie Frost and Todd Martinelli with getting the project off the ground.

“They were in here cleaning up, putting down some lines, bringing in portable pickleball nets, and they just started playing,” he said. “For some reason, it sort of became an unofficial dog park….But the word got out that this was going to be a pickleball court and, as you can see, it’s a pickleball court today.”

Burgess then took a moment to thank the Athol-Orange Rotary Club, noting that Kessler would occasionally stop by and play pickleball at Silver Lake.

“One day, he (Kessler) said, ‘Hey, the Rotary is looking for something to do for the community. So, why don’t you put a little presentation together and come down to lunch.’ They have a lot of lunches, by the way,” said Burgess to laughter from the crowd. “So, we made a presentation, and they liked the idea, and they gave us a generous donation. If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t be here at this point.”

Burgess also thanked the Town of Athol, particularly the Department of Public Works, Open Space and Recreation Commission, and those who contributed time and money to the fundraising effort, including his wife, Sharon Burgess, who served as head fundraiser.

“We’re not done here yet,” Burgess said. “We’re hoping to hold fundraisers, clinics, tournaments, social events – anything to get everybody together and play some pickleball.”

Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@aol.com.