July 9, 2008

Lake Oswego Petanque

LOPC is barely two years old, but growing fast. They convinced the city to provide a beautiful play area with crushed stone and trees along the river and that's where they get together on Sunday afternoons and Monday evenings.
One of the reasons the City was so co-operative is because it is a multi-purpose area. Kids can use it for all kinds of games. And it's huge. Large enough for at least 10 petanque games going on at the same time.
Kudos to Johnny Prince for his tireless efforts.


And you can find the exact spot of LOP on the Petanque in the USA map.

The Lake Oswego approach is one I have been advocating for a long time: when you talk to your local Parks Department, do not necessarily ask them to "build petanque courts". Check with them if there's a spot in town, where the surface can be changed from grass, pavers, or whatever there is now, into crushed stone which can be enjoyed by anyone and over time becomes a meeting place. Where trees will provide shade, and maintenance will be minimal. And where - by the way - one can also play petanque.
Let's be realistic: many years ago there were no dedicated 'boulodromes' in France either. People played on market places, all in crushed stone.

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