Perry County Summer Games open with pickleball tournament at Perry County Park

Perry County’s Summer Games opened with a doubles pickleball tournament at Perry County Park on Saturday, June 6, at 10 a.m., putting one of the county’s most used public spaces at the center of the summer schedule. Perry County Fiscal Court framed the event as more than a single tournament, using it as the first sign that residents will show up for recreation that is easy to join, easy to stage and built around friends and families.

The county said the tournament was only the start, with more games and more events planned as part of Summer Games 2026. That message matters because it turns the opening event into a test of demand, not just a bracket. By starting with doubles pickleball, the county chose a format that encourages neighbors, relatives and mixed-age pairs to participate together, rather than a larger or more specialized competition.

Perry County Park gave the launch a setting with real weight. County descriptions list a walking track, skateboard park, basketball courts, five picnic shelters, baseball and softball fields, a stage area for concerts, an outdoor pool, putt-putt golf, tennis courts, a boat ramp to the Kentucky River, a horse park and a playground area. The Hazard/Perry Senior Citizens Center is also in the park. The county says the pool, shelters, Senior Citizens Cabin and stage may be reserved for special events by calling 606-439-1816.

The park’s role does not stop with sports. The county says the Perry County Farmers Market operates there every Wednesday and Saturday from May through October, and the annual Perry County Fair is held the third weekend in June at Perry County Park in Hazard. That overlap of recreation, markets and fair activity makes the park one of the county’s busiest public gathering places during the summer.

Hazard-Perry County’s designation as the 20th Kentucky Trail Town adds another layer to that push to activate public space. With more than 6 miles of hiking trails inside Perry County Park, plus boating access to the Kentucky River, the county is tying the Summer Games to a broader outdoor identity that already reaches beyond one weekend of pickleball.