The schedule and field of teams is now complete, and final preparations are well in the works to welcome the Fastball World to the village of Tavistock July 14th to the 17th, 2011.
The opening pitch will take place at the Queens Park at 7:00pm on Thursday evening when the Kitchener Cubs will do battle with local rivals the Shakespeare Falcons. At 9:00pm on the same diamond, the Elmira Expos will take on the Sweaburg Crush. On Friday the Argentina Jr. Nats will face the Crush at 5:00pm followed by a full slate of games scheduled for both diamonds throughout the evening.
The Defending World Champion Jarvis Travelers will take on the Expos at 7:00pm on the Queens Diamond immediately following the Opening Ceremonies and 26 games in all will take place over 4 exciting and festive days in Tavistock.
The weekend is definitely about exciting, world class fastball but we are offering much more than balls and strikes at this year's event.
Friday night in the beer tent, we will feature the Live Music sounds of the band "24 Karat" featuring lead singer and renowned local vocalist Katie Roth (niece to Cephas Roth). Katie will also be singing the national anthem at the Opening Ceremony Friday night at 7:00pm and the band will kick things into full gear around 10:30pm on Friday night. The tent is open until 2:00am and we expect a large, festive crowd on hand for opening night!! Please check out the "24 Karat" web site to gain a better appreciation for the entertainment we will be offering at http://64.235.108.164/24KaratBand.
The Tavistock Athletics Bantam Boys were recently crowned Ontario Champions at the OASA Bantam Elimination Tournament, and the entire squad will be on hand all weekend running the BBQ and fund raising for their August trip to Newfoundland and the Eastern Canadian Bantam Championships. Keep them hopping on the grill and enjoy all of the savory BBQ treats that will be available to you throughout the event!!
The North Waterloo Fastball League Bantam Boys All Star Game will also take place on the Queens Diamond on Saturday at 5:00pm. This All Star addition was a great success last year and I know all of the fastball stars of the future are looking forward to entertaining the crowd prior to the final two tournament games of the evening.
A few people have inquired about camping and there will be camping available for a nominal fee. The park has been under construction throughout the spring and summer to date so camping spaces are somewhat limited, but we will accommodate everyone interested in parking a trailer or pitching a tent for the weekend. If you wish to camp, please contact me at "davebailey@baileyconstruction.ca" to make the arrangements prior to your arrival.
Expect to see Tavistock Athletics Minor Ball players of all ages around the park selling 50/50 tickets and working the gates. Our entire Association is dedicated and committed to making your "Tavistock" experience a weekend to remember!!
For directions to the Queens Park, simply punch in "1 Adam Street, Tavistock, Ontario" and you will find our Field of Dreams located directly adjacent to the Tavistock Arena which offers a large volume of parking area to accommodate all of our weekend guests. The Optimist Park is located on Hwy #59 on the west end of Tavistock heading towards Woodstock. The driving distance from park to park is literally 3 minutes so although we don't have the convenience of two great diamonds situated on the same lot, we offer 2 spectacular facilities only minutes a part!!
We would like to also Thank Al Doran in advance for joining us for the weekend and agreeing to keep the fastball world informed and up to date on all of our tournament game results. Kyle and the Ball Park Radio staff will also be on hand to cover the semi final and final game at the Queens Park on Sunday afternoon.
Look for more updates in the next week and if you haven't already made the plan, you still have time to make arrangements to spend July 14th to 17th in beautiful and friendly Tavistock, Ontario.
Dave Bailey
Tavistock Minor Ball Association
