T-R PHOTO BY JAKE RYDER - The Wolf Creek Pickleball Club is seeking donations to improve and finish pickleball courts in Beaman, pictured at top, and Conrad, pictured at bottom. The fundraiser has a goal of $75,000 with a Nov. 30 deadline.

CONRAD – The growing nationwide popularity of pickleball has energized a recent fundraiser to upgrade and complete pickleball courts in Beaman and Conrad.

The Wolf Creek Pickleball Club is seeking donations for the project that will resurface the courts in Beaman and complete the courts recently poured in Conrad to provide safe, quality playable surfaces in the two Grundy County towns.

The goal for the fundraiser is $75,000, and Wolf Creek Pickleball Club Fundraising Chair Chad Dielschneider said the project is already at two-thirds of the goal through conversations with businesses and organizations and some donations received at recent public events like Conrad’s Pumpkin Fest or Beaman’s Hunter’s Day Meals.

“The community support has been fantastic,” Dielschneider said. “Both cities recognize this and have people that want to pursue this and we’ve got a fantastic group of volunteers heading up this fundraising committee.”

Conrad and Beaman officialshave already invested in the courts, including around $60,000 from the City of Conrad to put in a concrete slab and nets for pickleball as part of the activities at the Conrad Aquatic Center.

The project funds will be split about 75-25 between Beaman and Conrad, respectively – Beaman will have cracks in the surface repaired and resurfaced, as well as new lines for both the pickleball courts and the basketball hoops installed on the courts.

In Conrad, the money will be focused into finishing the new project with an acrylic surface and lines.

This is considered the minimum of what can be done with the $75,000 goal, but Dielschneider said plenty more is possible if funds exceed the goal, including fencing for the Conrad courts, or adding another six feet on the sides of the Beaman courts to bring it up to the USA Pickleball Association standards.

Around 9 million people in the United States play pickleball, with an average age of 38 years old. From 2019-2022, the number of pickleball players increased by 158 percent.

Dielschneider said that, like other recreational activities such as swimming pools, trails and libraries, pickleball courts are becoming a thing that people seek out when they look to move to a new town.

A flier distributed by the Wolf Creek Pickleball Club shows computer-generated imagery of how the donations will be used to improve the courts in Conrad and Beaman.

“It’s a very family-friendly recreational activity, and inexpensive,” Dielschneider added. “And no matter what age group you’re in, you can compete with other age groups.”

For Dielschneider, it started with having to go with his wife to nearby communities like Steamboat Rock, Marshalltown or Grundy Center to find a place to play pickleball.

Now, Dielschneider said around 50 people between Beaman and Conrad are avid players, with the courts seeing daily use, especially in the summertime.

The fundraiser is currently in its second of three phases, with the pickleball club looking to branch off in merchandise for phase three including t-shirts, hats, or pickleball equipment bags, towels or drink tumblers.

The deadline for donations is Nov. 30, to allow the group time to find contractors to do the work for the following year. Donations are tax-deductible and can be mailed to PO Box 414 in Conrad, with checks payable to Conrad Chamber Main Street and “Pickleball Project” in the memo.

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Contact Jake Ryder at 641-753-6611 ext. 227 or jryder@timesrepublican.com.