Vaile Park basketball courts’ grand opening ceremony Sept. 17 in Dixon

DIXON — The completion of the Larry and Louise Reed basketball courts will be celebrated at a grand opening Sept. 17 at 251 Custer Ave.

The Dixon Park District in January received a $68,200 Open Spaces Land Acquisition and Development grant to help upgrade the basketball courts at Vaile Park.

OSLAD is a state-financed program with dedicated funding through a portion of the state’s real-estate transfer tax. It is offered through the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Recipients can get up to $600,000 for development/renovation projects or up to $1.725 million for acquisition projects, on a dollar-to-dollar match.

The basketball courts are named in honor of the late Larry Reed and his wife, Louise, who are known for their support of local sports and community projects.

Court 1 is sponsored by Trinity Insurance and Financial Services. Court 2 is sponsored by Pest Control Consultants.