By Staff
Support your local athletics
By Adam Prestridge
Looking ahead to this weekend, most everyone in the city of Atmore has several irons in the fire.
In addition to the annual Mayfest event at Tom Byrne Park slated to begin at 9:15 a.m., opening ceremonies for Cal Ripken Baseball will be held at 9:30 a.m.
At the conclusion of the Mayfest festivities, Young Life will hold its second annual helicopter golf ball drop at the practice fields adjacent to Tom Byrne Park. The winner will take home a lofty $5,000 prize.
And if that wasn’t enough, the Escambia County High School athletic boosters will host it’s “Draw Down” at the Whistle Stop Grill beginning at 7 p.m. It too will pad the wallets of the lucky ticket holder with $5,000. Also, the names of the people drawn on the first ticket, every 10th ticket and the 240th ticket will each win their $100 ticket money back.
Now that’s a busy weekend.
Although the weekend is busy, everyone should attempt to take part in at least one of the events, and Mayfest doesn’t count. Most Atmore residents enjoy the spring event and attend, if only for just an hour or so. But the events that coincide with Mayfest or happen later that day are important to the community too.
Take the Cal Ripken opening ceremonies for example. The children that will be kickin’ up dust on the diamonds Saturday are our future athletes and deserve your support. Of course, parents, grandparents and siblings will be on hand, but if you are a fan of baseball and beautiful weather, come out to the ballpark and enjoy a game and “famous” chicken sandwiches or ballpark hotdogs. Not only will the added fans make the experience more enjoyable for the players, but the extra money spent at the ballpark will also help support the league.
With the ongoing renovation of Escambia County High School’s field house, the money raised during the “draw down” is key. The athletic boosters may be asking $100 for each ticket, but they are making it fun for ticket holders, not to mention giving some money back. The ticket not only gives you the chance to win some extra cash, it also serves as dinner for two.
This weekend is huge in Atmore and everyone in town should take advantage of these wonderful, worthy events. Remember, without the support of its community, organizations such as Cal Ripken Baseball and the ECHS booster club could not be successful and do what they were created to do, give our children the best sports programs we can offer.
So take out your wallets and checkbooks and give back to the community.
Adam Prestridge is publisher of the Atmore Advance. He can be reached at 368-2123 or email him at adam.prestridge@atmoreadvance.com