What? It’s Not March Madness at all. You say the season has just started? Au contraire, mes amis. It’s an Amish youth (14 and under) softball tournament AND a Whiffle Ball tournament comin’ down the pike, like nothing you’ve ever seen before. For sure. These folks are not mad at anybody; they’re just inviting the whole neighborhood to catch some ball games du jour on Saturday, September 2, 2023 –all day–at the Garrettsville Village South Street (Bill Phelps) Park, starting at 7 a.m. and going on until the the last swing has been swung and the last whiffle has whiffed.
There will also be a traditional Chinese auction with more than 75 items up for bid (Think of what this might be at an Amish event–buggy whips, handmade quilts, non-pedal bikes, loaves of bread, all kinds of produce, anyone? How about a pony?). There’s a 50/50 raffle, a pretty classy softball bat bag valued at five to six hundred dollars (spikes, glove, bat, etc.) raffle and a $500 cash raffle; you’re more likely to make out like a bandit here than in the Mega Millions drawing…speaking from experience here. The youth tournament has ten teams ready to go right now.
The Wiffle Ball tournament is a new enterprise, looking to become an annual event and structured for thirty teams possibly, for all ages–adults and otherwise. Might compete with Pickle Ball as an outdoor event. Get your team and sign up
And FOOD ! There will be a doughnut (or donut, if you like) trailer there in the morning–great accompaniment for your coffee–from the coffee trailer which will be there all day( or you could sneak some in from McD’s if you like). When lunchtime rolls around–as it always does–there will be pizza, burgers & dogs, and soft serve ice cream.
And what is the raison d’ etre for this extravaganza, you ask. It is a fund-raiser for the Tinker’s Creek Amish school, located on Ely Road in Nelson Township. The Amish schools in this neighborhood are funded by monthly tuition paid for each of the first through eighth grade students in attendance. They are private schools and receive no state monies; funds raised by this event will go to lower fees and make tuition more affordable for more families and to provide a supplement to operating expenses. The playground needs an upgrade too. Parents of these school-age children will be the ones operating the concessions and serving all of the mouth-watering foods available; they’re into education in a big way, as big as this tournament, for instance.
So plan now for a day of super sports…and everything else…on Saturday, September 2, 2023 at the South Street (Bill Phelps) Park. Drop in when you can and see some exciting softball/wiffle ball. If you’ve ever been to the Amish basketball tournaments at the Y in the Spring, you know that they take their ball games seriously. This is no exception. They play hard, and to win. C’mon out and see…and eat, of course.
