Next weekend marks a huge weekend for the City of Atmore as the Chamber holds the 38th annual Mayfest at Tom Byrne Park.

There is sure to be a large crowd to assemble at the event with thousands of spectators expected to be on hand.

Mayfest is always a great event with Sheryl Vickery and Shelly Williams putting in hard work for months to make sure the event is even better than the previous year.

Another event, which takes place next to Mayfest is the Dpening Day ceremonies for Cal Ripken Baseball.

The Major and Minor League teams will take the field for the first time and begin league action in the quest for a league championship.

Cal Ripken has to be one of the more fun things that as a sports editor I get to witness.

It’s always fun to see the teams go at it for a few weeks because rivalries develop and the standings are always tight.

Opening Day should prove to be really fun to because all of the players are excited and ready to get on the field.

Hopefully, this season is full of as much fun and excitement as the past two years that I have covered it.

The coaches and players deserve a lot of thanks for the work they take part in to prepare for the season to give parents and fans the best competition possible.

Murray Johnson also deserves a lot of praise for the amount of work he has put in for Cal Ripken over the past 40-plus seasons.

He puts a lot of effort into making sure the season is a good one, and as far as I have seen he has a done a good job.

This year he has gone the extra mile to make sure each child has the opportunity to play Cal Ripken baseball. He has said any child who wants to play who might not be able to afford it can play and he will pay the cost.

All-in-all next weekend should be a really fun weekend with Mayfest and opening day. I know I’m looking forward to it.

Chandler Myers is sports editor of the Atmore Advance. He can be reached at 368-2123 or by e-mail at sports@atmoreadvance.com