City and Borough of Juneau Parks & Recreation is excited to announce that public programming and gym rentals will begin at the Marie Drake Gym this September. The community is invited to an open house on Friday, September 4, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the gym and planetarium, located at 1415 Glacier Ave. This event will allow families to check out the new gym space and experience the nonprofit-run Marie Drake Planetarium. 

The Marie Drake Gym opens to the public for the season on Tuesday, September 8. The space will be utilized for Parks & Recreation public programming, youth sports, private rentals, and by user groups that previously used the Mt. Jumbo Gym. Gym rentals for private parties after September 11 are now being accepted. The transfer to the Marie Drake Gym marks the closure of the Mt. Jumbo Gym on Douglas. 

Parks & Recreation is excited to offer a new public program at Marie Drake called Open Gym, which will begin on September 14. Held on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Open Gym will provide a space for all ages to enjoy drop-in pickleball, ping-pong, cornhole, and more. Preschool Open Gym will begin on September 8 with sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

Preschool Open Gym sessions cost $6 per child, with no charge for parents/guardians or infants under 6 months. Turf for Tots passes are also accepted. Open Gym costs $6 per person. 

Parks & Recreation is currently recruiting Recreation Workers to support this exciting new programming for both the Marie Drake and Floyd Dryden gyms. Visit the job posting for more information and to apply. 

Public parking for Marie Drake will be available on the new compacted surface by the main entrance. Participants will need to validate their parking with the gym monitor upon arriving at the facility on weekdays to avoid being ticketed. 

Programming at Marie Drake Gym will end for the season on April 30, 2027, and will start again the following fall. Like other CBJ Parks facilities, the Marie Drake Gym is closed on holidays, including Christmas and New Year’s. 

For more information, contact Juneau Parks & Recreation at 907-586-5226 or [email protected]. 

The City and Borough of Juneau is happy to share that the Adair Kennedy courts near Floyd Dryden are now open following resurfacing, restriping, and the installation of three new sets of net posts last month.  

Two dedicated pickleball courts and one shared tennis and pickleball court are available for residents to enjoy. From now until the winter, courts are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Reservations for the courts will be available online beginning in the spring of 2027. 

While the courts are open and operational, two final updates will be made. One dedicated pickleball court is currently utilizing a temporary net, which will be replaced with a permanent net once parts arrive. Final painting of the shared court’s pickleball lines will also be completed when weather permits.  

For this project, Parks Maintenance staff completed hours of resurfacing and painting of the courts. Installation of net posts was completed by ENCO Construction. 

For more information about the courts, contact Juneau Parks & Recreation at 907-586-5226 or [email protected]. 

The City and Borough of Juneau Parks & Recreation invites the community to celebrate the recent upgrades and reopenings of both Sigoowu Ye Park in Lemon Creek and the Thunder Mountain Bike Park in the Mendenhall Valley. There will be a ribbon-cutting and BBQ for the community at each event.

The ribbon-cutting and BBQ for Sigoowu Ye Park is from 12 to 2 p.m. on Saturday, August 29. It will be held at the park, which is located at 5921 Pine Street in Lemon Creek.

The grand opening and bike-train ribbon-cutting for the Thunder Mountain Bike Park will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday, August 30. Parking is available at Miller Fields near Glacier Valley School, and directional signage will be posted in the area. To get to the event, begin at the end of Jennifer Dr. and follow the Under Thunder trail up to the Thunder Mt. Uptrack. Follow the Uptrack to the gravel area where the event will be held, near the water reservoir.

Juneau Mountain Bike Alliance and Trail Mix Inc. have worked with professionals and volunteers to add new trails and rehabilitate existing ones. All trails will be open for riding during the event, and helmets are required. Cycle Alaska will have bikes available to try out and will be giving away some helmets for kids.

For more information, contact Juneau Parks & Recreation at 907-586-5226 or [email protected].