NEWBERRY — On Saturday, the City of Newberry held the grand opening of the Oakland Tennis Center, there was food, friendship, fun and of course tennis.
“There are a lot of people here, I had to park in the Oakland Mill Parking Lot, that shows there is a lot of excitement. We have great weather and it is a really nice day, the burgers smell great,” Mayor Foster Senn said. “Clearly there is a demand for tennis in Newberry, and a lot of new players here, and it’s really easy to get started.”
With the sun shining, there was no worry of shutting the hard courts down. Scott Sawyer, director of Parks, Recreation and Tourism with the City of Newberry, said for safety reasons people cannot play on the hard courts when wet.
“The clay courts you can play in the rain, unless it gets too saturated, but not too much of a safety issue with the clay as it is with the hard courts,” he said.
The Tennis Center officially opened on Jan. 3, and people have already started to utilize the facility. The grand opening gave residents a chance to see the facility, get to know the new tennis program and gather information on programs, such as the apprentice program.