PORT ARTHUR, Texas — Port Arthur will officially unveil a brand new refurbished basketball court in partnership with Sparkling Ice's Cheers to You Beautification project on Saturday, Nov. 20th.
The new court features a fresh overlay of the existing courts, all new equipment with hoops and rims with surrounding swings, picnic tables and benches for the surrounding area. These add-ons will be installed in 2022.
To kick off the event, there will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. with welcome speeches from Port Arthur Mayor Thurman Bill Bartie and former NFL player and Port Arthur native, Jordan Babineaux. Fellow board members and city officials will also be in attendance.
Following the ceremony, there will be an eight-team basketball tournament beginning at 10:30 a.m. to break in the new court.
The event will also feature large inflatables, face painting, balloon twisting, a DJ, and southern style food for the whole family to enjoy and celebrate.
People will have the chance to enter to win an entire year supply of Sparkling Ice beverages.
The maker of Sparkling Ice beverages announced their second annual Cheers to You Town Beautification program in July, where the brand teamed up with three small towns across the country to give back in a big way.
For the 2021 Beautification program, the brand sought out three new unique towns across America, whose parks and recreational areas were in need of refurbishing, rebuilding or enhancements. After learning more about individual community needs, Sparkling Ice selected Lumberton, North Carolina, Biloxi, Mississippi and Port Arthur, Texas as this year's town partners.
According to their website, The Sparkling Ice team has always been passionate about supporting local communities, from building accessible homes for veterans to providing clean drinking water for those in need, to recognizing and rewarding hometown heroes and everything in between.
