OUTDOOR RECREATION

​The Inspiritus Twice Blessed grant helped turn Citizens Alley into a true year-round gathering place, funding everything from spun chairs and chess and checkers sets to pickleball paddles, basketballs, and cornhole boards, along with the staffing needed to keep the space active in every season. What started as a plan for core equipment grew into something bigger, as local groups began approaching Local Motives wanting to be part of the vision, gathering around the new chess and checkers tables, relaxing in spun chairs while kids played in the pop-jet fountains, and filling the courts and lawn with pickup games. Summer 2025 drew roughly 3,700 attendees and 129 volunteers logging over 500 hours, while winter brought 18 volunteers contributing more than 900 hours and nearly 4,000 skaters and bumper car riders through February 2026. Neighborhoods moved their potlucks to the pickleball courts, a young father and son skated their way from using pusher bars to playing tag on the ice, and an AmeriCorps member and part-time staff kept the rink and bumper cars running smoothly all winter. Citizens Alley earned statewide attention too, featured by North Dakota Tourism and PBS's Travels with Darley. More than a set of amenities, the grant built a space where people kept showing up - and kept finding new reasons to stay.