LOYAL. LOCAL. COMPLETE.
The Harvest Slugfest is stepping up to the plate once again this weekend, bringing one of the largest fall baseball tournaments in East Central Illinois and West Central Indiana back to Paris.
According to organizer Cody Keys, more than 40 teams are registered for the three-day event, which kicks off at 5:30 p.m. tonight, Oct. 17. Hundreds of spectators are expected to fill the stands as games continue through Sunday on the six ball diamonds behind the Legion.
“We’ve been working really hard on getting it ready, and it is pretty exciting,” Keys said. Players ages seven to 11 will compete in five games on Friday, 43 games on Saturday and 40 games on Sunday.
Keys noted that interest in the tournament has grown significantly since its launch.
“We started out last year with registering teams in August, and this year we really tried to jump on it sooner, in early July,” he said. “We even have one team coming all the way from Peoria.”
The event is not only a highlight for the Paris 11U host team but also a major boost for the local economy, with families and fans filling hotels, restaurants and shops throughout the weekend.
“If you figure 11 to 12 kids per team, you’re talking around 528 kids,” Keys said. “We had a great tournament last year, and I feel like that really helped out and pushed us to get more people. In central Illinois—and I’d even say in central Indiana—I don’t know of anybody who’s got a bigger fall tournament.”
Keys hopes the tournament’s success will continue to shine a spotlight on Paris and its community spirit.
“You always travel around to everywhere else, and then you kind of look at Paris and think, ‘Why don’t we do this in Paris?’” he said. “Now, here it is. It’s awesome—especially for Paris—because there is going to be a ton of people.”
The massive event relies on an equally impressive volunteer effort.
“We have a ton of people who come out to help and to volunteer,” Keys shared. “Just to get that many cars parked and to take care of food—we’ve got more than 100 pounds of pulled pork, 400 hot dogs and 700 bacon chops that will be made that day.”
He was quick to thank Rowdy Brown and the dozens of others who have stepped up to help prep the field, organize the three days of games and provide both moral and physical support for the event and its many teams.
Games begin at 5:30 p.m. tonight, with the Paris 11U team taking the field at 6 p.m. on Hughes Field.
“Just come out and support these kids—and Paris,” Keys said. “It’s going to be a great thing for our kids and for our community.”