Stigler to dedicate new pickleball courts, playground, and basketball space

Four pickleball courts, a full-size outdoor basketball court and a new playground are about to give Stigler a fresh daily recreation hub between NE Third Street and B Street. The City of Stigler has scheduled a dedication ceremony for Thursday, April 23, at 11:30 a.m. to open The Courts at Bumpers Park and the Choctaw Playground, turning a long-running park project into a place where players, parents and neighbors can all use the same space.

For pickleball, the design matters as much as the count. Four dedicated courts give local players a permanent place to play instead of improvising on shared pavement or waiting for temporary lines to be cleared. For families, the layout broadens the park’s reach: one stop can now mean a game on the courts, a half-court break on the basketball side and time on the playground. That mix is what makes the project feel bigger than a single-sport addition. It gives Stigler a recreation site that can work for after-school play, weekend drop-ins and low-key games for older residents who want a familiar, easy-to-access spot to stay active.

The city’s website says the pickleball courts are in their final-touch phase and that a grand opening announcement would follow soon, a sign the facility is nearly ready for regular use. Earlier work on the project already showed how quickly the park was taking shape: the main slab for the four pickleball courts had been poured, the basketball court was set to follow after Thanksgiving, and the park was expected to be finished by spring 2026. With the dedication now set, Stigler is moving from construction into everyday recreation.

The new build also fits into a broader pattern of public investment in Stigler, where city recreation assets already include walking trails, playground equipment, two sports complexes and a skate park. By placing pickleball alongside those features at Bumpers Park, the city is adding another anchor for casual play and community gathering. The Choctaw Playground name also underscores the role of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma in Haskell County, where the nation is one of the region’s major partners in community life and one of its important employers. The Choctaw Nation says it is the third-largest Indian Nation in the United States, with nearly 212,000 tribal members and more than 12,000 employees. In Stigler, that partnership is now visible in a park built to serve the next round of everyday recreation.