Numerous locals celebrated the La slow-pitch tournament in hopes of raising awareness and funds. 

This was the first slow-pitch tournament the Park has hosted in 18 years, and the return of the event was welcomed by upwards of 200 people who came through the park to take part in a weekend full of baseball, live entertainment, games and numerous door prizes. 

The festivities began on Friday night for those who wanted to get a head start on the weekend, with the ball tournament and other events starting on Saturday. 

Randy Geissler, Lemsford Park, advisory committee member, said it was a great turnout and brought out a lot of new faces. 

“There was between 175-200 at the park throughout the whole weekend, and I’d say a good three-quarters of them were people who aren’t regulars of the park. It was great to see new people and just all the support from everyone for the Park.” 

Throughout the year, Lemsford Park committee members have been going through the process of trying to keep the park open as the park’s board of directors have been weighing their options. Geissler said the tournament served to raise money for the park if their lease is renewed for another year and also to raise awareness about what the park has to offer. 

In total, eight teams entered the tournament with first place being awarded $400, second place $250 and third place, $200. Geissler shared the winners donated their entire winnings back to the park with second place donating $50 back to the grounds as well. 

The weekend also hosted a home-run derby which included an impromptu entry from the entertainers from Saturday night. 

“We had The Dirt Rich Band play on Saturday night, and they were awesome, everyone had a great time including the band, they even signed up for the home-run derby. They said too, they already want to come back next year and play for two nights and that they will also bring a team to enter into the tournament”. 

Outside of the generous donations from their sponsors, Lemsford Park raised approximately $2500 from the campsites and additional $4000 from the tournament entries, beer gardens and the other events throughout the weekend. 

Right now, Geissler said they are waiting to hear if their lease is going to be renewed before making any decisions as to what to do with the money. He proclaimed, however, that this should show the board of directors there is interest in the park and said he hopes this past weekend shines a positive light on their decision to leave the park open.