Fun in the sun: Zelienople’s outdoor scene
Outdoor activities play an important role in a thriving community, giving residents opportunities to stay active, enjoy the outdoors and create memories with their families.
Zelienople offers plenty of those opportunities. At Zelienople Community Park, residents can take part in activities ranging from baseball and biking to swimming, birding and yoga.
One of the park’s most popular attractions is the Zelienople Memorial Skate Park, which was constructed in 2019. The project was inspired by Seneca Valley Senior High School student Trevor Barkley, who dedicated his senior project to helping bring the skate park to life.
“Zelienople’s strong sense of community allows for the formulation of a core group of skaters that will instill generational respect for the skate park within the local skate community and foundational knowledge of park etiquette for those who might be a little unfamiliar,” the website said.
Lyndsey Granata, parks and recreation manager for Zelienople Parks and Recreation, said the skate park attracts a wide variety of people from throughout the area.
“A lot of really cool and interesting people come from all over,” Granata said, adding that, in her opinion, there are no other skate parks in the area quite like it.
Residents of Zelienople may already know Papa Joe’s Wine Cellar, but they may not know the business is also home to a bocce ball court and a growing bocce league.
“It started because our landlord put in a bocce court because he always thought it would be cool. It is funny because we had another restaurant in the city where we wanted a court, but we never had the space. It is not regulation, but it is a fun thing for people to do,” said part-owner Beth Talarico.
Since launching the leagues, demand has continued to grow, Talarico said, forcing them to add more slots and teams. This past summer, 15 teams competed, followed by a fall league that begins shortly after the summer season ends.
The fall league will run for four weeks, with games on Tuesdays at 6 and 7 p.m. On Oct. 24, the top eight teams will compete against one another at Papa Joe’s, located at 154 S. Main St.
Outside of league play, the bocce court is also available for customers to use during the restaurant’s regular hours. Papa Joe’s is open Monday through Thursday from 4 to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from noon to 10 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.
“As long as a league isn’t happening that night, it is open for anyone to play, and the balls are rented out for free. We also have people sign a form so that if something crazy happens. We give people guidance if they want to play and learn, which has been fun,” Talarico said.
The league has brought benefits beyond Papa Joe’s, helping draw customers to Zelienople on nights that are typically slower and sending league participants to other nearby restaurants as well.
“It has been huge. We have nights when we are typically not busy where we have leagues on, with Mondays as an example where it is not that busy, and we will have five teams,” Talarico said. “My favorite is Wednesday nights because we have two teams, with one being a team of dads and the other being a team of their sons and friends.”
For those looking for a different way to stay active, Yoga in the Park offers residents the opportunity to exercise while enjoying the outdoors.
The program was started in 2016 by Melissa Turner, owner of Studio Z Yoga, Studio Z Cycle and Pilates, before her official studio opened in 2017.
Turner said the idea was to take yoga outdoors and make it accessible to beginners and more experienced participants while building a sense of community. She also saw the park as a natural fit for the classes.
Classes are held at 10 a.m. Tuesdays and 5:45 p.m. Thursdays.
“It has been great. We have regulars who come for outdoor yoga every week, and we have had a lot of bring-a-friend classes. Our instructors and participants love the classes,” Turner said. “It is so great for not only your body but your mind as well. When you are doing something more mindful outside, it can help to not only challenge you in terms of movement in the body, but there’s something about hearing the rustling of the trees or a bird chirping or even kids laughing and playing in the distance that makes it feel really connected to the world.”
Turner added that the classes are designed to create an encouraging and welcoming environment. Participants do not have to worry about what they cannot do, she said, as the classes are flexible and give people the opportunity to meet others along the way.
“Yoga is something anyone can do. And bringing it outside sometimes takes away the intimidation of walking into a yoga studio. Trying yoga out or exploring the option of yoga can get confusing to someone new because people see yoga trends like intense balance postures or feats of flexibility, but yoga is connection,” Turner said.
Along with more traditional amenities such as tennis and basketball courts, the park offers several programs throughout the summer and into the fall.
“One of the programs we have going on right now is Soccer Shots, which is run through the park, and they currently have a full roster of kids as the fall season starts, but they do it through the spring, summer, fall and winter. They generally get a lot of attention for that,” Granata said.
The pool is another popular attraction, Granata said, with residents already signing up for passes for next summer.
During the summer, the pool offers water aerobics beginning June 8, with classes held from 9:15 to 10:15 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Lap swimming also begins June 8 and will be held from 9:15 to 10:15 a.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Lap swimming is included with membership and daily admission.
“I am getting pool passes ready for sale for next year, as funny as that sounds, and the cheapest rate for the passes is on October first, so make sure you get them then because they will increase to the second-tier pricing at the end of January,” Granata said.
Pickleball is another program offered throughout the year. It is held from 9 a.m. to noon at Glade Run Gymnasium, 30 Glade Run Drive. It is open to adults 18 and older, with 14 spots available per class.
“We use Glade Run’s gymnasium for pickleball because we are landlocked at the park, and we found out that Cranberry was also renting at Glade Run, so we were able to get a couple of days for Saturdays and Tuesday nights, so we are going to be able to do pickleball in Zelienople,” Granata explained.
Other programs for children include StoryWalks with Zelienople Library, Gazebo Storytime, and Youth Fitness and Triathlon Camps. The fitness and triathlon camps offer intentional skill progression, age-appropriate training and experienced coaches.
Granata said she hopes to continue expanding the park’s offerings in the future, including family nights and possibly a bluegrass country festival.
“I want to do so much more at the park. For next season, we are going to have family nights, and I want to get a bluegrass country festival, which we started planning for this past year, but then I was gone for a few months. I am hoping we can plan that,” Granata said.
