Bowling Green opens two sepak takraw courts at Pedigo Park at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, with a tournament and food fundraiser. Plus Preston Miller Park updates.

Bowling Green has two new sepak takraw courts, and the city opens them with a tournament Saturday. The grand opening at Pedigo Park starts at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 24.

Bowling Green Parks and Recreation announced Thursday that the courts are complete. The opening will include a tournament and a food fundraiser, held with the local sepak takraw community.

Why Bowling Green built them

The parks department said it learned of a local community passionate about the sport that had no dedicated court. It designed and built the two courts over the past two fiscal years. The money came from the city’s capital improvement budget for fiscal year 2026, set aside for work at Pedigo Park.

The city’s Community Engagement Division helped organize the opening.

What sepak takraw is

Sepak takraw is a fast team sport from Southeast Asia, often called “kick volleyball.” The city’s announcement describes it this way:

  • It is played on a court the size of a badminton court, split by a net.
  • Two teams use a woven rattan or synthetic ball.
  • Players keep the ball in the air with their feet, knees, chest, shoulders and head.
  • Hands and arms are not allowed.

More park work: Preston Miller Park

The parks department also posted an update Thursday on two projects at Preston Miller Park, paid for in the fiscal year 2027 capital budget.

  • Premier Grounds: two soccer fields are being converted to synthetic turf, with new lights to allow more playing time. Contractors have started staging equipment and preparing the site, and work will continue over the coming months. The city said park visitors should expect construction traffic, equipment and dust near the work area.
  • A new playground: the old equipment and mulch are gone. The new playground will sit slightly farther from the waterpark and will have inclusive play features for children of different abilities, with poured-in-place paths linking them. The ground is settling now. Installation starts in the spring, and the city expects the playground to open before the summer waterpark season.

The old mulch did not go to waste. The city said its organic material was reused at the Lovers Lane Soccer Complex.

And the Paul Walker Pro Shop

Work on the new Paul Walker Pro Shop, at the Paul Walker Golf Course in Covington Woods Park, started in April. The city’s progress update says asbestos removal and demolition are done. So are the concrete block walls, roof, framing and concrete floor. Plumbing, electrical and stone masonry work are underway. The project is on schedule to finish in April 2027.

What it means for you

  • Go watch, or play: the Pedigo Park opening is at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, with a tournament and food for sale to raise money.
  • Heading to Preston Miller Park? Expect construction near the soccer fields, and no playground until spring. Our AIDS Walk story has the details of the Oct. 31 walk there.
  • Questions: Bowling Green Parks and Recreation is at 270-393-3249.
  • Our parks and trails guide lists the city’s parks, and the weekend guide has more to do this Saturday.