Let the pigs fly! My friends finally said it was OK to tell you about my favorite way to spend Sunday afternoons.  At first they swore me to secrecy, knowing I have a habit of telling complete strangers about fun things to do in Fort Bragg. But my slightly rag-tag group of friends eventually gave in and said I could tell you about our weekly game of Petanque, even invite you to join us if you’ve a mind.

Pronounced “pay-tahnk”, it’s one of Europe’s most popular outdoor games, a distant relative of horseshoes, and a first cousin of the Italian ‘bocce’.

It’s free, simple, relaxing, lots of fun and a perfect way to make new friends.  Last but not least, petanque can be – and usually is – played while enjoying a cool drink and some tasty snacks! No wonder this extremely pleasant game is rapidly gaining popularity worldwide.

No special skill is required, you don’t need special clothes, adults can play with children (or adults that act like children), and the equipment is inexpensive. As a matter of fact, until you decide the game is for you (I was hooked the first time I played), you can just show up.  If you’ve got petanque balls, bring ‘em, otherwise there will be some extra sets for you to use, (although I predict you will desire your very own one day).

All kinds of people play with us… you might meet 3 of our 5 city councilpersons, artists, writers, wood-workers, musicians, retail shop owners (past and present), retired school teachers, community activists, bloggers, a publicist (that’d be me), birding bureaucrats, a locksmith, a contractor or a landscaper. Also visitors, players’ adult children, and friends of friends, who I’m certain do something when they’re not playing petanque, but it doesn’t really matter what…

And don’t worry if you’re an absolute beginner - you can join the fun even if petanque is a total mystery.  It only takes a few minutes to learn, and there’s always someone happy to give you a quick lesson.  You don’t need a partner, the ’sorting bag’ assigns teams, so singles don’t be shy. Best of all, no one cares if you’re good or bad, it’s all about having fun.

The balls go into the sorting bag at 2PM every Sunday.  We play on a sea-urchin parking lot, on the east side of North Harbor Drive after the big u-turn. We play rain or shine, we’re hard to miss, and parking is plentiful.

See you there!

Here’s more about the game… it originated in Provence in the early 1900’s. The aim is to toss, or roll a number of hollow steel balls (”boules”) as close as possible to a small wooden target ball, called “but” or “cochonnet” (”piglet” in French, but we usually call it ‘the pig’). Players take turns and the team that ends up nearest to the target ball when all balls are played, wins.

Unlike horseshoes, where the aim stake is fixed, petanques’ target ball may be hit at any time, which can completely turn around the score at the last second. And whereas the official bocce rules call for a smooth, prepared court with markers and sideboards, petanque can be played on most outdoor surfaces, without any setup.

To learn more about Petanque, here are some interesting websites: http://www.laboulebleue.fr www.petanqueamerica.com www.obut.com and  www.youtube.com (search on petanque)

See you there!

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