River John Pickleball Club

RJPC upcoming Members’ Meeting & AGM

RJPC Members’ Meeting will be held virtually on January 28, 2025 at 7 p.m. AST. The Annual General Meeting (AGM) will follow at 7:30 p.m., with a brief regular Board meeting to follow to elect officer positions. Please check your email for full details.

Reminder: Membership Survey - Closing Dec. 12

Our membership survey has been open for two weeks and we’re up to a 39% response rate! This is a great response but we’d like to hear from even more members. If you haven’t yet completed the survey, we encourage you to do so before it closes at 11:59 p.m. AST on Thursday, December 12. Simply visit https://s.surveyplanet.com/go0feps7 and have your say! We look forward to hearing from you as your input will help plan for future years at the River John Pickleball Park (outdoor courts).

Membership Offer!

RJPC has some exciting news!  We are once again offering a 15 month Membership to the club starting today!  The offer also includes your membership for Pickleball Canada and Pickleball Nova Scotia!  Our fee for an annual membership is $75.00 plus PBC and PNS fees, for an approximate total of $107.00.  So if you have been thinking about joining us, now is a great time!  This will give you access to the outdoor courts for the remainder of the season (weather dependent) through to next December 31, 2025.  Please email us if you have any further questions. 

RJPC Grand Opening Celebrations!

All RJPC members are cordially invited to our Grand Opening Celebrations.

In recognition of the creation of the River John Pickleball Park, we’re holding two celebratory events on FRIDAY, AUGUST 30. Please come to both as we have LOTS to celebrate!

Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony at River John Pickleball Park at 11 a.m.

Members are invited to join dignitaries, community members, corporate sponsors, individual donors and community partners for an official ribbon-cutting.

Come out and thank our government, corporate and individual donors as well as our partners for making our beautiful three-court facility a reality.

Cake and refreshments will be served. Admission is free.

Legion Dance, 2506 River John Station Road, from 8 p.m. – midnight

Dust off your dancing shoes! The Legion, in conjunction with RJPC, will host a dance to celebrate our partnership and the grand opening of our pickleball courts.

Music provided by the talented DJ HARV.

Tickets are $10 per person. To reserve your ticket, e-transfer the money to sheilafjohnston@gmail.com . RJPC and Legion members will have the ability to buy tickets for one week (until August 18), before they're offered for sale to the community at large. First come, first served.

Cash bar, and snacks will also be offered for sale that night. Further, a 50/50 will take place, with proceeds going towards a much-needed commercial dishwasher for the Legion.

We’re hopeful this event will sell out as it has been years since the Legion has held a dance…let’s BOOGIE!

Summer Play at the Firehall

Dear Members of RJPC!

As a direct result of our recent survey regarding summer play at the River John Firehall, we will be offering sessions on days when our outside courts are unavailable ( providing the Firehall is available) FOR EVENTS such as Read-By-the-Sea OR WEEKEND TOURNAMENTS. Sessions will be posted on Playtime Scheduler no more than one week in advance, and we ask that you only sign up for one session per day so that others may get the chance to play. In the event of extended inclement weather, more than 2 days, we will create sessions for the 3rd day and beyond if weather remains wet...once sessions have been posted for the Firehall we will not cancel them regardless of what is happening outdoors. (Sessions at the Firehall will be 2 HOURS AND still be $5.00 per session ) Happy to say that since our courts have opened we have had lovely weather, let's hope that continues, and we hope you are enjoying the River John Pickleball Park!
RJPC Membership & Operations Committees

Membership Committee Update

RJPC is delighted to share with you that to date this year we have 78 members! Women outnumber the men almost 2-1! This all before our outside courts are even open – pretty impressive and in large part due to the tremendous support and patronage of local River John residents as well as those in surrounding areas. Thank you! As of December 31, 2023 we were at 100 members so it is likely we will reach our 2024 goal of 100 members when our courts are up and running and some of the seasonal players return to the North Shore. Benefits of becoming a member of the club: exclusive and fairly unlimited play when the courts are open until approximately late October (weather permitting), and player insurance. The Scheduling Committee will soon be solidifying a plan/schedule for summer play and will share it as soon as it becomes available; the exact start date is yet to be determined.If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask. You can also message me at riverjohnpickleball@gmail.com (attention Membership Committee).To become a member, visit https://secure.pickleballcanada.org/club/river-john-pickleball-club/32284/

See you on the court! Karen Upshaw - Membership Chair for RJPC

Fee Increase at River John Volunteer Fire Department - $5 effective May 1

Attention RJPC Members and Players! Please be advised that the River John Volunteer Fire Department has raised the Player rate/per session to $5 effective May 1, 2024, citing reasons of rising costs of power and heat. 100% of this fee is donated back to the Firehall. The non-member rate of $5 is currently under review, but for now will remain at $5 until further notice. We thank you for your understanding. Karen Upshaw, Membership Chair

RJPC upcoming members meetings

RJPC Members meeting to be held virtually on Feb 12 at 7 pm. The Annual General Meeting will follow at 7:30 pm, with a brief regular Board meeting to follow to elect officer positions. Check out your member emails for more details. 

RJPC Tree at Bissel Park Nov 26 2023

MEMBERSHIP DRIVE! PLEASE REGISTER SOON!

As you can see by the pictures posted, we are making progress to finish phase 1 of construction on our brand new 3 court Pickleball Facility!! To say we are excited to see the finished product would be an understatement! Through generous donations (government, corporate and personal donations) we are realizing a dream 3 years in the making.

To date we have 86 registered RJPC members and 300 Facebook followers! Those are some impressive numbers. Registration time is now upon us for the 2024 calendar year and I would like to take this opportunity to encourage ALL members to renew their membership ASAP to help us anticipate our numbers for the exciting spring opening. Also to all potential members and facebook fans, we hope you will consider registering with Pickleball Canada and choosing River John as your home club (multiple clubs are permitted). All fees collected for our club will go towards the 2024 Operating Budget and potential 2nd phase building of our courts (sun shelter and washroom upgrades etc). Registering now for 2024 will be the same price as it will be January 1, 2024.

https://secure.pickleballcanad...

Annual Membership (Pickleball Canada) $10.00

Annual Membership (Pickleball NS) $5.00

Annual Membership Adult (RJPC) $75.00 - Under 18 - $0.00

HST and processing Fee $17.53

TOTAL $107.53

EXCITING LAUNCH OF OUR 2024 SEASON!!

To all RJPC Members and future members!!

Exciting times in River John as the courts are on track to be completed this fall! The RJPC board has been busy behind the scenes preparing to open and operate the courts for outside play (Date TBD).  In preparation for our 2024 opening season (May 1, 2024 - October 31, 2024 weather dependant) we are happy to announce that Membership dues/categories have been posted!  In the event that our courts are ready for play this fall, you will be required to have a valid membership with RJPC, or pay the required $5.00 drop in fee.  Further details will be provided if we are lucky enough to enjoy the courts before Mother Nature says otherwise!!

You may renew your existing membership with PCO/RJPC as early as October 1, 2023 which is valid until December 31, 2024.  New members can also join on October 1st valid until December 31, 2024!! 

We would like to take this opportunity once again, to thank the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 108 for their continuing support and encourage all members of RJPC to consider joining the Legion as a show of support www.legion.ca - River John Branch 108. 

RJPC is looking forward to creating a club that promotes health, friendship, good sportsmanship and fun for all!

Fundraising support request

To our dedicated RJPC Members:

We need your help, so we’re reaching out to you as a RJPC member who has perhaps caught the pickleball bug.

We hope you’re as overjoyed as we are about the establishment of the 3-court outdoor pickleball facility at the Legion on River John Station Road in partnership with our community partner, the Royal Canadian Legion, River John Branch 108. Construction is about to get underway, and we require your financial support to fully make this project a reality and reach our $187,000 fundraising goal.

To date we have raised $117,800 for this important community initiative, which includes

generous donations of:

• $60,000 from the Province of Nova Scotia, Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism & Heritage,


• $17,800 from corporate and individual donors, and


• $15,000 in the form of a capital contribution from the YMCA of Pictou County.

And we expect more funding announcements in the coming weeks and months!

We want to build on this extraordinary momentum to raise more much-needed funds for this

project, which is why we’re reaching out to you now. Given your love of pickleball and our community, we ask that you make a donation to our cause.

No donation is too small, and donations of $100 or more are eligible for a tax receipt provided by the Municipality of Pictou County. To make that happen,we ask that you please provide us with a cheque payable to the Municipality of Pictou County, including a reference that it is a donation to the River John Pickleball Club. We will submit your cheque to the County on your behalf and collect your receipt.

For donations under $100 you can send an etransfer to the Bank of Nova Scotia, RiverJohnPBC using the email jelcarruthers@gmail.com. Cheques can be mailed directly to John Carruthers, Treasurer, at 20 Bayview Place, Melville NS B0K 1N0, Canada. We are also able to drop by and pick up donations if that is easier.

If you have any questions, contact Margaret Barry at mabarry077@gmail.com or Sherry Keen at keen.sherry@gmail.com.

We look forward to your involvement in this worthwhile initiative, which will have a positive physical, mental and social impact on residents and visitors of all ages on the north shore of Nova Scotia.

Invitation to all members and community

You’re Invited –

Ceremonial Sod-turning & Funding Announcement

The River John Pickleball Club, in conjunction with our community partner The Royal Canadian Legion River John Branch 108, invite you to celebrate the development of a three-court pickleball facility for River John and surrounding communities.

Who: You and other community members will join the Honourable Sean Fraser, Member of Parliament for Central Nova; the Honourable Karla MacFarlane, MLA for Pictou West; Mike Topley, President, Royal Canadian Legion River John Branch 108 and Wade Taylor, President, River John Pickleball Club.

What: Ceremonial Sod-turning & Funding Announcement and Cheque Presentation

Where: The Royal Canadian Legion River John Branch 108 at 2506 River John Station Road, River John

When: Friday, May 19 at 2:30 p.m.

To help us fully make this project a reality, please donate to the River John Pickleball Club by contacting John Carruthers, Treasurer RJPC, at jcarruthers@outlook.com. Donations of $100 or more receive a charitable tax receipt. No donation is too small!

Excitement building!

January 2023 River John Pickleball Club Update!

Positive advances are being made on many fronts and optimism is rising regarding 3 outdoor pickleball courts being built in River John this year.

It’s Pretty Clear River John Loves Pickleball! With support from the RJ Fire Department, the River John Pickleball Club introduced indoor pickleball to the community two months ago. Since then, on that one court at the Firehall 24,660 minutes of pickleball have been played. That’s 411 hours!!! In one week alone 40 people have signed up to play or attend a Learn To Play session. That’s amazing!!!!

We have finalized the Partnership Agreements with the River John Legion Branch 108 and the Pictou County YMCA. The Partnership Agreement with the RJ Legion provides the physical location for the courts as well as a great partner in the community. The partnership with the Pictou County YMCA has resulted in a $15,000 capital contribution from the Y to this project as well as being another great partner in the community. Our association with the Y brings additional scope to our project extending the great benefits of pickleball to a variety of people including potentially programs for Kids Pickleball Summer Camp/Program. A collaboration of programming to meet a variety of needs in our area is very exciting.

The RJPC Executive is also hard at work developing, fine tuning and submitting grant applications for government funding at the municipal, provincial and federal levels, as well as other grants suitable for our project. A presentation was made on our project to the Municipality of Pictou County (MOPC) Council on November 7, 2022 in conjunction with our partners from the RJ Legion and Pictou County YMCA. Our presentation was very well received. This grant application has just been submitted for consideration. We continue to work with Karla MacFarlane, MLA for Pictou West, to highlight our project for a grant from the NS Recreation Facility Development grant program. Federally, New Horizons for Seniors program grant has been submitted and we continue to work with the office of Sean Fraser, MP for Central Nova to assess any other potential federal grants which may become available.

Our capital campaign for both corporate and personal donations is well underway. We are also working on the development of a sponsorship campaign. These two items are crucial steps to the success of our project. With the community excitement building around the game of pickleball, we are reassured that local financial support of this project will advance as well.

We thank everyone involved to date for your support. Please share this good news and please consider supporting this project also as we move to next steps of fund raising, grants approval, planning and construction. See you all on the courts soon!

Sincerely

Sherry Keen

Secretary, RJPC

Cindy Morrison of the River John Pickleball Club presents Cody Joudrie of the RJ Fire Department with $242.00, fees collected during the first month of pickleball at the Firehall.

River John Pickleball Makes Pitch to Council

A group of volunteers want River John to be the next pickleball destination in Pictou County.

The River John Pickleball Society presented to the council on Nov 7 and outlined its plans for a three-court outdoor facility similar to one recently built in Little Harbour.

Society President Wade Taylor said the society became a not-for-profit organization in 2022, and it intends to bring pickleball to River John for all ages to enjoy.

The courts will be on land owned by the legion and the YMCA has committed $15,000 to the project.

“There is a need for rural recreation facilities,” Taylor said, adding that if people in River John want to play pickleball now, they must travel at least a half hour out of their community which not only uses up gas but time.

Taylor said they have recently started playing pickleball on one court at the River John Fire Hall and the response has been positive. It also has been building awareness about its project through its Facebook page, River John Pickleball.

The society is preparing grant applications for several funding sources, including one for the Municipality of Pictou, for an ask of $40,000. It will also need to fundraise about $10,000 from the community.

It is estimated the construction of the courts will be $130,000 and everything else, such as project management, windscreens, landscaping, wiring for lights and contingency, will cost an additional $24,000.

Mike Topley, president of the Royal Canadian Legion, said its board of directors supports the River John Pickleball Society by providing the land for the project.

“We have a very nice building, memorial gardens next to Trans Canada Trail, and when we got a call from the pickleball club year ago, it was pretty much immediate, and the board of directors came on board right away,” he said.

Council thanked the society for its presentation and said it would review its grant application after the February deadline closes.

For a complete look at the River John Pickleball Society’s presentation to council on our YouTube channel, The Municipality of Pictou County. The presentation is also available by clicking here.