May is National Tennis Month and to encourage people of all ages to pick up a racquet, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) is serving up a community initiative across America. From coast to coast, community tennis organizations will host "Tennis Block Parties" to encourage people of all ages and abilities to take to the court.

In Garden City, the Tennis Block Party is being hosted by USTA Eastern at the Garden City Community Park Tennis Center May 17 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event is free and open to all Garden City residents.

This year's block party will highlight QuickStart Tennis, an innovative new play format that will help more children aged 10 and under enjoy the game. QuickStart scales tennis down to junior size with smaller racquets, lower bouncing balls and smaller courts. Kids start playing right away and learn as they play.

Tennis Block Party events and attractions will include: a kids clinic from 10-11:30 a.m. in which tennis, using the QuickStart format, will be presented. Everyone is welcome; games and giveaways for kids and adults alike; parent child tournaments from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Pre-registration is required; husband-wife tournaments from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Pre-registration is again required; and refreshments will be served.

To register, call 483-2525 by May 16. For more information, visit www.TennisMonth.com.

The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the US and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level - from local communities to the highest level of the professional game. It owns and operates the US Open, the highest attended annual sporting event in the world, and launched the Olympus US Open Series linking 10 summer tournaments to the US Open. In addition, it owns the 94 Pro Circuit events throughout the US, and selects the teams for the Davis Cup, Fed Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games. A not-for-profit organization with more than 720,000 members, it invests 100 percent of its proceeds in growing the game. For more information on the USTA, visit usta.com.