Gracie Martin, 93, plays a game of table tennis with Ken Krohn on July 9, 2025. Both are members of the Baker City Rotary Club, which raised money to install a concrete table tennis structure in Geiser-Pollman Park. (Lisa Britton/Baker City Herald)

BAKER CITY — Gracie Martin pops the plastic ball over the net to Ken Krohn in their first game of table tennis in Geiser-Pollman Park.

“I haven’t played ping pong since 1963,” she said.

Martin is 93.

On Wednesday, July 9, she joined Krohn and Lloyd Nelson, all members of the Baker City Rotary Club, to watch volunteers install a concrete table tennis structure in Geiser-Pollman Park. The table sits on four ball-shaped legs, and has a permanent stainless steel net.

The table was funded by local Rotary fundraisers and grants from the Rotary District Foundation and the Leo Adler Community Fund.

Users can bring their own paddles and balls, or check out a set at the Baker County Public Library located across the river from the park (the bundle includes rules of the game). The library paddles and balls will be due back the same day.

Krohn said a bench and sign will be installed later — both are being built by Natural Structures in Baker City.

Local businesses who helped with installation included Superior Towing, Pete Nelson Construction, Robert Collins Construction and Eric Scott Construction.

The original table tennis project started with Rotarian Dianne Moore in Toronto, Canada. Now, that country has more than 100 concrete table tennis sites.