When a pickleball Grand Opening event requests no street shoes, you know they mean business! Such was the invite from Pickledilly Skokie in Illinois for their Grand Opening and ribbon cutting ceremony on February 20. With an Emmy Award-winning sportscaster, Peggy Kusinski, as the emcee, the mayor and Skokie Chamber of Commerce President in attendance amongst other guests the event was a great way to introduce the new facility to the community.
Skokie residents Lauren Busey, Amy Lillibridge, Nathan Cachila, and Armi Cachila became fast friends through pickleball on local outdoor courts. When winter weather rolled in and made outdoor play impossible, they decided to solve their problem of where to play and Pickledilly Skokie was born.
“Our focus at Pickledilly Skokie is to make this a great community-centered facility that is as affordable as possible and brings the community together,” says Amy Lillibridge. “We also want to represent the diversity of the community and help introduce people to the sport.”
The partners transformed warehouse space into 11 full-size courts and a skinny half-court for warming up and drilling and permanent fencing down the middle of the courts. A small event space in the back is perfect for setting up a buffet and moveable fences between the courts allow for flexibility should the event spill over and permanent fencing down the middle to help keep other courts free of runaway balls. Every detail has been accounted for including uplighting to ensure optimal visibility on the courts without creating glare or discomfort for players.
Membership isn’t necessary to play at Pickleball Skokie, however it does have its perks. Benefits of buying a yearly membership include a 50% discount on court reservation fees and open play sessions, a seven-day booking window on CourtReserve and a 10-20% discount on leagues, lessons and events. To celebrate their grand opening pre-sale membership specials were available on a limited basis with discounted rates for individuals, couples and families. Amy says they currently have 500 open-play participants and are thrilled to have active members in the growing community.
Pickleball Skokie is open Monday – Friday from 6:00 am – 10:00 pm and is getting a feel for what its members want. Officially open since February 1, the facility went through the normal “growing pains” related to technology and defining policies and procedures. With the issues resolved, they are excited about the positive response to the mini four-week leagues and available coaching and lessons.
“In the morning we offer Rack n Play and have had 40-50 people on the courts. We are concentrating on leagues and events in the evenings and available courts are also available to reserve during this time.”
Keeping in line with their focus on the community, Pickleball Skokie works closely with Sketchbook Brewing Company located in the front portion of their shared building. They’ve found players are taking advantage of coffee in the morning and beer and food truck offerings through Sketchbook Brewing in the evening. For the holidays – or anytime – the businesses offer Pickle and Pints gift cards for court time and a beverage.
Amy adds another goal is to be a facility that focuses on youth programming and is looking at offering clinics and summer camp opportunities as well as partnering with nearby Northwestern University.
“We’re talking to the local park district and youth sports groups about partnering since they already have a connection to that age group, The hope is if we get new youth involved in the game their parents might want to play too and make it a fun family event,” says Amy. “Lauren’s and mine sons play pickleball too so we know how fun it is to play as a family.”
Pickledilly Skokie is excited to be a part of the redevelopment of downtown Skokie and bring indoor pickleball to the area. With a successful Grand Opening and first month under their belts, Pickledilly Skokie is looking forward to the future.
