The Bocce Guys

Have you noticed the group of four men, sometimes more, who show up almost daily across the street from Longleaf downtown to play Bocce? This group loyally shows up early most mornings and start with coffee at the Town Ground Espresso Café. Somewhere close to lunchtime, they make their way across the street for a competitive game of Bocce, a game where four inch solid wood or resin balls are thrown across the grass at a target ball called a Pallino.

The funny thing about this loyal group’s sport is that they have attracted kids who patiently sit on the fence watching this traditional game. Once I saw one of the kids being instructed on the game by one of the Bocce guys. Little do these men and kids know, but an endearing picture has been formed by those that see, of a traditional Italian game played by mature residents of a community while younger youth look on.  The fact that this sport takes place outdoors in downtown Longleaf within biking or scootering distance for kids is just another attribute of the Longleaf traditional neighborhood.

The Bocce guys consist of four to twelve men, some who are Longleaf residents and others are friends who enjoy the game. Recently, the group approached developer Frank Starkey about making a Bocce court part of the plan for Longleaf downtown. I don’t know if a “yes” is etched in stone yet, but a day or so later, Mr. Starkey was seen playing Bocce with the Bocce guys, presumably checking out the terrain.

Seeing the Bocce guys has become commonplace in Longleaf downtown. They can usually be spotted outside of Town Ground in the morning, but sometime during the afternoon, they migrate down to Maduro’s Cigar Bar. I am sure that when the anxiously awaited pizza parlor opens in downtown Longleaf, the Bocce guys will be seen enjoying lunch at a table there as well.

p.s.- As of this date, the team of Frank and Tony are still undefeated!