Summer nights in Sistersville are about to get a lot livelier thanks to a familiar sound echoing through the city park. It’s the bounce of basketballs on pavement.

Kevin Yoho has taken the initiative to bring back the once-beloved Sistersville Summer League, reviving competitive hoops at the outdoor courts. Yoho has already organized six teams, each with 15 players, and games are scheduled every Monday and Thursday evening at 6:30, 7:30, and 8:30 p.m.

The return of the summer league is expected to draw strong crowds to the park, where basketball will be just one part of a busy community hub. With the pool opening this week, pickleball players on the courts, and Little League and tee ball baseball in full swing, Sistersville is shaping up for a memorable summer season.

“It’s all about giving people a reason to come out, be together, and enjoy some good competition,” Yoho said. “The community seems excited, and we’re just getting started.” Yoho added that food trucks would be making an appearance and the concession stand at the pool will offer water, pop, candy and snacks.

I can remember back to the summers after I graduated from high school playing in Summer League basketball and how competitive the action was. Players from Paden City, Middlebourne, and St. Marys all seemed to show up for Sistersville Summer League basketball. The games were spirited, and in most cases, it was “call your own foul,” which led to a lot of controversy and several heated arguments. But after all the competition, everybody walked away as friends and usually headed to the pool room for their favorite beverage.

It wasn’t just about basketball. It was a gathering spot, a summer ritual. The courts would light up not just with competition, but with laughter, stories, and the kind of small-town camaraderie you just don’t find everywhere. For many of us, those games were a highlight of the year, a way to stay connected with old classmates, meet new faces, and compete for nothing more than bragging rights, which, back then, felt as important as a championship. Plus, it was a great place to meet and see the girls.

Of course, Paden City and New Martinsville also had their summer leagues, and they were every bit as competitive as Sistersville. One of the most famous players to come out of Paden City’s blacktop battles was none other than the current Tyler Star News and Wetzel Chronicle editor, Ed Parsons.

“Ed,” or as he’s affectionately known in local hoops lore, “The Blacktop Legend” was quite the scorer in his day. Whether it was pulling up from deep or slashing through defenders with an old-school, no-fear mentality, Ed had a reputation for putting up points and talking a little trash while doing it. He wasn’t afraid to let you know when he’d hit a big shot, and in most games, he hit plenty.

Stories still circulate of Ed lighting up the courts on muggy July evenings, his jumper as reliable as the summer heat. Kids from around the valley knew that if you showed up at Paden City Park and Ed was playing, you were in for a long night on defense. But it was all part of the game. Competitive, yes, but always in good fun.

It’s characters like Ed that made those summer leagues so memorable. Every town had a legend or two, the guy who never missed, the defender who could lock down anybody, the quiet kid who suddenly turned into a beast on the court. And even though the lights have dimmed on those old matchups, the stories live on.

Now, with Sistersville’s summer league roaring back to life, you can’t help but wonder who the next legends will be. Maybe it’s a high schooler looking to sharpen his game before the winter season. Maybe it’s a former standout reliving the glory days. Or maybe, just maybe, it’s a future Ed Parsons, getting buckets under the evening sky, unaware they’re writing the next chapter in small-town basketball folklore.

That’s why seeing Kevin Yoho bring this tradition back is more than just organizing a few games, it’s a revival of something special. It’s a chance for a new generation to experience what so many of us cherished. With six full teams and a solid schedule, it’s clear the community is buying in. And with the courts buzzing on Monday and Thursday nights again, there’s a feeling in the air, like the town is waking up to something it didn’t know it missed.

Maybe these kids won’t know the sting of a no-call on a hard drive to the basket or the joy of hitting a game-winner under the lights with friends crowding the sidelines, not yet anyway. But they will. And when they do, they’ll carry those memories just like we did.

Because in Sistersville, summer doesn’t start with a date on the calendar, it starts with the sound of basketballs echoing across the park, and the community showing up to cheer, argue a little, and maybe head for a cold drink when the night’s done.