Free Movie Night in St. George: Sunset on the Square

Love a Movie? Love a FREE Movie? Love being outdoors? Yes. Yes. And Yes. Grab a blanket or a chair and check out the movies at the Town Square Plaza provided by the City of St. George. 

http://www.sgcity.org/cityevents/  (find a list of the movies playing)

With summer here and the kids out of school, we are always looking for ways to keep all of us happy and entertained.  Finding outdoor activities is a bonus since the dog days of summer often drive us indoors to find respite from the heat. On one of our frequent trips to the Washington County Library, we found out about these great movies showing every 2^nd and 4^th Friday throughout the summer in the Town Square.

On our first venture there, we were unprepared for the pre-movie festivities that take place. Some nights they have friendly competitions for prizes. One time the audience broke into a pre-show dance. It is quite the party for all ages. The only drawback that we found is that the movie doesn’t start, of course, until sundown, and that can make for a late night for our smallest ones. Our solution: bring a little pillow and let them lay down and fall asleep right there under the night sky.

Kudos to the St. George, Utah Parks and Recreation Department led by Kent Perkins. From the bike trails to the St. George Marathon to the various events like this movie night, they help make St. George a great place to live.

Let us help you find a great place to live in Southern Utah.

Find us at www.whystgeorge.com or call 435-313-3966

Jazz in Little Valley Park

Desert Hills High School jazz band played in a great new venue for their end of year school concert. The unexpected location was at Silkwood Park in the new Little Valley Silkwood subdivision. I was impressed with the facilities in this hidden location. The band set up in their outdoor amphitheater and the audience brought their own chairs and blankets where they spread out on the lawn for the concert. There was plenty of room for the entire audience and the sound system carried the concert wonderfully.

The park also has a water feature and is tucked inside a nice little neighborhood so traffic is limited to the local traffic to the homes. Parking for a larger event like the concert was a little tricky but otherwise, I offer kudos to Band directors Mike Winslow (Desert Hills High School) and Rob Schmidt (Desert Hills Middle School) for changing up the routine and offering a fun new place to listen to these up and coming jazz musicians.

As long as we’re mentioning parks in Little Valley, we must mention The Fields at Little Valley. This is a great park for all sorts of sports. With several soccer fields, a large water park, pickle ball courts, and a baseball field across the street there is something for everyone. We love that our younger kids can be entertained in the park while the older kids play soccer. With Sunrise Intermediate School and Little Valley Elementary School across the street, this makes an ideal location for raising a family.

New homes are going up all over in Little Valley and there are plenty of re-sell single family homes available as well.

We can help you find the home for you. Contact us at:

www.whystgeorge.com

or

call (435) 313-3966

other helpful links to parks in the Little Valley area:

www.stgeorgeforkids.com/st.-george-washington-city-parks/the-fields-at-little-valley

Facing the Reality: Pickle Ball Take-over

Vernon Worthen Park

Okay. I’ll confess. I was a tennis snob. The day I saw pickle ball courts take over the tennis courts adjacent to Vernon Worthen Park in downtown St. George, was a day of mourning. Smaller courts. Silly paddles. Only the weak, slow and retired could be opting for such a water-downed sport. Imagine my consternation when I started seeing more tennis courts being adapted for pickle ball and then when a whole pickle ball complex was installed at The Fields at Little Valley. What were people thinking??? http://www.sgcity.org/departments/leisureservices/parks/park.php?id=129

Little Valley Park

Yes, friends would suggest that I should give it a try. More and more friends began inviting us to go play as a couple. I declined several times—but I started to feel isolation creeping in to my choice of eliteness. Wednesday night at the Summit was where we could find our friends, hanging out on the %$@*$ pickle ball courts. I finally relented when our friends told us they were going to bring extra paddles so that we could come and give it a try. http://summitathleticclub.com/

Summit Athletic Club

I stood on the court with paddle in hand, listening to the crazy rules, trying to make peace with my step onto the dark side. We started warming up, dinking the ball back and forth. My competitive juices started to warm, as well, and it didn’t take long for those competitive impulses to take over. The harder I hit the ball, the harder it came back. The more finesse I used, the more finesse my opponents shoved right back. This little “paddle ball” game grew into an all out war, and the moment I lost, I wanted back on the court for a re-match. Sweat was pouring down my face, and I was guzzling water to keep up the pace of this wuss sport. http://www.usapa.org/rules-summary/

Pickle Ball is described as a mix between ping pong, tennis and badminton, all sports that I enjoy, and I could definitely feel a little of each of those sports as I played.

Our evening ended. The façade of eliteness stripped away. I was a convert. We discussed the best kinds of paddles and where to buy them as we walked—humbly walked—off the courts. Tennis is still my first love—but pickle ball has earned my respect and attention, and we’ll be back on the courts next Wednesday. But for now I’ll go take some Ibuprofen and rub some icy hot on some of those muscles that got whooped by Pickle Ball.

Pickle Ball Tournaments in St. George: http://www.sgcity.org/departments/recreation/adultsports/pickleball_tournaments.php

http://www.seniorgames.net/sports/pickleball/handbook/

Looking for a spot in St. George? Find me at the pickle ball courts or just call:

Chris at 435-313-3966

Or

Visit: www.whystgeorge.com