Rotary club adds pickleball tournament to Jasper Strassenfest lineup

Rotary Club of Dubois County is bringing pickleball into the Jasper Strassenfest mix this summer, using a mixed doubles tournament to raise money and keep the county’s biggest festival tied to local service. The event is set up as both a competition and a fundraiser, with proceeds supporting Rotary’s work in education, health and other community needs across Dubois County.

The tournament is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Alvin C. Ruxer Student Gym on the Vincennes University Jasper campus, 850 College Ave. in Jasper. Players will compete in two divisions, 54 and under and 55 and over, and participants are guaranteed multiple matches. Awards will go to the top teams in each bracket, and the entry fee is $40 per team. Registration is available by scanning the QR code on the event flyer or by calling 812-630-5581.

The pickleball tournament lands in the middle of the 48th annual Jasper Strassenfest, which runs July 30 through Aug. 2, 2026, in downtown Jasper. This year’s theme, Threads of History, Patterns of Progress, is tied to America’s 250th birthday and is expected to show up on the festival button and throughout special events during the weekend. For Rotary, adding a tournament during Strassenfest folds the club’s fundraising into a week when downtown Jasper is already filled with residents, visitors and volunteer energy.

The club is also leaning on a familiar local network to make the event work. Sponsors include Vincennes University Jasper, Dubois County Free Press, Memorial Medical Center Foundation and REM Bicycle & Fitness, a mix that reflects how civic, medical and business groups often overlap in Dubois County. The Rotary Club of Dubois County describes itself as a local service organization made up of community and business leaders committed to service above self.

That service focus has been visible in recent club activity. Rotary’s 2025 Community Grants program awarded $18,800 to TRI-CAP, Deaconess Memorial Medical Center and The Trotter House, and its 2026 grant program invited nonprofits, schools and community groups across the county to apply. The club has also worked closely with the nearly 30-member Jasper High School Interact Club, which recently joined Rotary members in assembling 100 hygiene kits. For Rotary, the pickleball tournament is another way to turn a festival crowd into support for local needs.