Vidalia — The LaMiss Community Tennis Association is looking to get back to the basics when it hosts its second Fun Free Day of Tennis at the Concordia Parish Recreational Complex March 15.

Association president and league coordinator Nancy McLemore said the association has been looking forward to the free day of tennis lessons since August.

“We had this arranged for late October, but we got totally rained out,” McLemore said. “Then the holidays came and the cold weather, and we’re just hoping the weather will be beautiful for our event.”

The free fun day is a nationally sponsored event through the United States Tennis Association with a goal to encourage children of all ages to have fun playing tennis.

McLemore said the LaMiss chapter wants to build a love for tennis in the area.

“We have this gorgeous new complex that was built by Concordia Parish District 3, and it’s set up for everything from baseball to soccer, basketball and 12 tennis courts that are ready and waiting for people to play on,” McLemore said. “But there is not a huge number of adult tennis players.

“LaMiss’ idea is to grow it from the bottom up. You have to get the kids interested then it moves into the schools and eventually, we’ll start having more tennis teams and they will, in turn, become adult players.”

The event is from 9:30 to 11 a.m., and McLemore said players just need to bring is tennis shoes and a bottle of water.

“If they don’t have a racket, we have about 50 rackets and we have balls and they just have to come March 15,” she said. “Adults can come and get involved, too. Bring some water to drink and bring chairs if you want to watch instead of play.”

McLemore said they will combine having fun with learning the fundamentals of tennis in order to get children interested.

Door prizes will also be given away, including some tennis rackets.

McLemore encourages all parents to bring their children out, as tennis is a great sport to learn.

“It’s a noncontact sport that is relatively safe and it encourages sportsmanship and cooperation between players,” McLemore said. “We really like to encourage tennis with kids, because it’s a great sport and it’s a sport they can play for their whole life. Plenty 65-year-olds are playing tennis, and it’s good for eye-hand coordination.”

For more information about the event, call McLemore a 318-336-5608.