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Skokie resident, Richard Reeder, learned to play petanque two years ago in Oslo, Norway. He is now a member Chicago Petanque Club and he believes that Skokie residents of all ages will enjoy the new outdoor court, recently constructed at Oakton Park. 

“Petanque is great fun. It is a non-strenuous game that can be highly challenging. I am hoping that people will use the court, and have fun playing petanque.”   

Petanque is a very popular French game which is growing in popularity around the world. The court looks like a bocce ball court, but the game is very different. Petanque is similar to horseshoes in that it is a tossing a game. A metal ball (called a boule), which is the size of an orange, is lobbed palm down, and the objective is to place it as close to the target, a much smaller ball made of wood or synthetic material (called a cochonnet). In addition to placing, a player can also shoot an opponent’s ball away from the target.

Petanque is played in teams consisting of two or three players. When using two players, each player has three boules to toss; if three players, each tosses two boules. Points are awarded by the boules’ closeness to the target. The first team to reach thirteen points wins the match.

The court is located at the eastern edge of Oakton Park, near the intersection of Kirk Street and Kenton Ave. 

For court information, call Pamela Zeid at (847) 674-1500, ext. 2700.