Games, clinics, music to highlight McFee Park celebration

McFee Park, Town of Farragut’s largest park, will celebrate its latest completed additions with a slew of activities beginning at 8:30 a.m., Saturday, June 11. Included is a three-on-three basketball tournament, two pickleball clinics/demonstrations and a doggy “flash mob,” along with games, music and snacks.

Festivities begin with a ribbon-cutting at 10 a.m.

The 51-acre parks improvements, which have included adding a Great Lawn, lighted tennis/pickleball courts, a basketball court, a special event pavilion and extended lighted walk trails, were under construction for about two years before being completed earlier this spring and had a price tag of $8 million.

“We are so excited to be able to cut the ribbon on the latest phase of McFee Park — the largest capital project in the Town’s history,” Town Parks and Recreation director Sue Stuhl said. “We hope that the community will come out and enjoy food, games and more on June 11 so they can experience all that the expanded McFee Park has to offer.”

While the party itself kicks off with the 10 a.m. ribbon cutting, the planned 3-on-3 basketball tournament begins at 8:30 a.m. According to the Town website it will be a single-elimination tournament, with one seeding game for each team. Additionally, each team will be scheduled for a minimum of two games lasting about 15 minutes.

Registration is required and deadline is 5 p.m., Thursday, June 9. For more information, or to register, visit https://townoffarragut.recdesk.com/Community/Program/Detail?programId=1104

Pickleball clinics will be held at 10:30 and 11:30 a.m. with no registration required.

About half the park’s acreage remains for future development, and more tennis courts, trails and a dog park are among the plans. To possibly help win funding for the dog park, dog owners are encouraged to bring their best friends to the event for special treats and activities, including a doggy “flash mob” that will be used in a social media campaign to win $25,000 through Dog Park Dash (dogparkdash.com).

“The Boyd Foundation is giving away grants to communities that demonstrate their desire for a dog park through social media,” the release added.

To get involved, follow Town of Farragut on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, share pics of your favorite pooch with the hashtag #DogParkDash2022 and mention Farragut.

“With the community’s help, we’ll be one step closer to a dog park at McFee Park,” the release stated.

Those attending are encouraged to park at the lower parking lot (near the fields) and walk to the new pavilion on the Great Lawn, a Town of Farragut press release stated.

A complete list of grand opening activities is available at farragutparksandrec.org/ribboncutting.

For more information, call 865-218-3376.