Groundbreaking ceremony to be held at community center

By Chris Del Corro

Almost four years ago, the City of North Myrtle Beach was approached by the local NMB Pickleball Association about building outdoor courts for the rapidly growing sport of pickleball. The city graciously agreed to help and fundraising began. During those years, pickleball began to explode and the Association’s dream and vision became shared by the city. Soon there will be 15 courts, which include a center court. There are also plans for future expansion in the hopes of drawing national events eventually, bringing millions of dollars to this area.

On Saturday, October 25, 2025, at 9:30 a.m., all of the visions will culminate in the Groundbreaking Ceremony at J Bryan Floyd Community Center. The new courts will be across the street from the center and the current sports fields will be moved to the NMB Park and Sports Complex off Robert Edge Parkway. Within a short time, construction will begin and hopefully will be completed sometime in 2026.

Immediately following the groundbreaking ceremony, everyone is encouraged to walk across the street to attend the fourth annual Pickleball with the Stars event. This year, there will be 8 local celebrities, 4 men and 4 women, who are paired and trained by 8 local 5.0 level coaches. These groups will be put into teams of 4 (2 men / 2 women) who will compete. In between games, there will be entertainment. This year, there will be lots of music, singing, magic, and more. This event is open to all. Because of this celebration of the new courts, tickets this year are only $10 each and the money will be added to a 50/50 pot. The tickets can be purchased at www.nmbpbf.com and picked up at Will Call on the day of the event. Each ticket stub will entitle the bearer to one 50/50 ticket and more 50/50 tickets can be purchased at the event. You must be present to win.

Celebrities this year are as follows:

Ed Piotrowski (4th appearance at PWTS), meteorologist on WPDE, Channel 15 ABC.

Greg Rowles (3rd appearance at PWTS), Entertainer and owner of Greg Rowles Legacy Theatre on Main Street in North Myrtle Beach. Greg is also an anchor on WFXB Fox TV and hosts Carolina AM.

B. J. Kinard (3rd appearance), who is an anchor at WFXB Fox TV. He is also the owner of Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii, Surfside Beach, S.C.

J. O. Baldwin (1st appearance), who is a City Councilman and Mayor Pro Tem. of NMB. He is also a candidate in the next mayoral election.

Dana Crowell (2nd appearance), who is Chief of Police for the City of NMB. Crowell is also president of the S. C. Police Chiefs Association.

Stephanie Johnson (1st appearance), is a detective with the North Myrtle Beach Police Department. Although new to pickleball, she was an inductee into her high school’s Hall of Fame for athletic performance.

Makayla Evans (1st appearance), who is a reporter for WMBF News Today. She previously interned for NBC News, the Today Show.

Cindy Piotrowski (first appearance), who is the wife of Ed Piotrowski. She was formerly affiliated with the Carolina Opry and is now a realtor.

Coaches this year are:

Jared Ingersoll (4th appearance)

T. C. Coughlin (4th appearance)

Pierre Rattini (4th appearance)

Jeff Wahl (4th appearance)

Joni Wall (1st appearance)

Tiffany Davis (2nd appearance)

Emily Taylor (1st appearance)

Meredith Hall (4th appearance)

The North Myrtle Beach Pickleball Association would like to extend heartfelt congratulations to Coach Meredith Hall, who has signed with the Delrays, a professional pickleball league out of Florida.

Please join us for the groundbreaking, followed by the best pickleball and entertainment event ever!

Tickets for PICKLEBALL WITH THE STARS: www.nmbpbf.com.