Petanque court opening in Burns Park; learn to play
Petanque Ann Arbor organizers Howard Ando and Jane Wilkinson are circulating flyers announcing the new petanque court in Burns Park. They are hosting demonstrations at the Ann Arbor Senior Center's "Picnic in the Park" August 22 from 1pm to 5pm, and subsequent Sundays August 30, September 6, and September 13 at 3pm.
Petanque, or boules, is a game of French origin played on a gravel court where the object is to throw hollow metal balls ("boules") nearest to a small wooden ball (the "cochonnet" or jack). It is similar to the Italian game of bocce and the British game of lawn bowling, and shares similarities to curling.
For more information contact Howard or Jane at Petanque Ann Arbor 734-482-7476 or howard@petanqueannarbor.org . The Ann Arbor Chronicle wrote a November 2008 article on the plans for the court, and petanque.org has much, much more information about the game.