The middle of July can mean one thing in our area, the Lycoming County Fair. The event began in 1870 as a way for farmers to show and compare their produce and livestock. The salt of the earth event is still going strong. There’s something to be found there for everyone from the demolition derby, tractor pulls, great entertainment, and all the competitions held by the 4-H. Not to mention that fabulous fair food, my favorite being the hot sausage sandwiches. I cannot forget the rides and games for the young and young at heart. If you haven’t been there in a few years, take some time to revisit the tradition of past and present at our County Fair. There is much more information in the pages ahead.

For a couple of weeks, I’ve been meaning to get back to some great folks doing some fine work for a couple of local charities. I will begin with the efforts of the Williamsport Multiple Sclerosis Council and their MS Walk – Together We Are Stronger campaign. The original goal was to raise $19,000; currently, they exceeded that and are approaching the $28,000 mark. Tip of the Webb Weekly cap to all involved.

Thank you to Ron Mingle for keeping me up to date on the community effort. Ron’s daughter Andi organized “Team Ming,” and as their leader has helped them to raise over $2,200. Which I believe currently ranks them 6th amongst the teams competing. The Together We Are Stronger campaign runs through July 28th, so there is still time to make a donation to help Team Ming move up the rankings. For the information how you can help reach out to Ron Mingle at rmingle@webbweekly.com or 570-419-9826.

Incidentally, congratulations to Andi and her husband Donny Sauers, the couple were married about a year ago and are expecting their first child. You couldn’t find any two better young people to bring a child into this world. God bless and good luck.

Andi would like me to give a shout out to Laura Templeton, Williamsport MS Council chairperson for the event. Laura who is employed at RETTEW has gone above and beyond the call of duty. Also a special thanks to RETTEW for allowing the organization to use their office space. Great job folks!

Up next is Jake King and his annual Coaches/Seniors versus Cancer baseball clash. This year he added a different twist — a Futures game. The best younger players from the area putting their talents on display for a great cause.

Tip of the K’s for Cancer cap to Jake and all that helped for their efforts. What a great way to fight such a dreaded disease by using America’s pastime.

Jake asked me if I would do a little post-game on the event, so here we go. The Senior players defeated the Coaches 11-8 in a game that was fun for all. The Justin Flannery Hilton Award presented to the MVP of the seniors went to Jensen Drick of Montgomery. Jensen had a great season for the Red Raiders and continued right on with his play during the game held at Logue Field in Williamsport.
Coach Joel Worthington, who is the Millionaires’ JV coach, and an assistant to the varsity, was honored with the Scott Grove Award for being the MVP from the Coaches side.

Last, but definitely not least, is my buddy Brandon Loner from St. John Neumann. I have gotten to know Brandon and his family during our travels with West End Baseball as Hunter, and he played together. A great family that does so much for the community especially the Special Olympics.
Brandon won the Rachael Shaner Kelleher Award. This is an award presented to the player that writes the best essay on how cancer has affected their lives. Brandon wrote about his mother, Patty, and her battle against cancer. To date, she has won her battle against the disease and is doing great. I always look forward to talking to her when our paths cross at a ballgame — last time was at The Backyard Brawl. Fantastic job Brandon, proud of you!

In my conversation with Jake King as always he was very gracious and would like me to give a big thanks to the following: Chris Masse and the Sun-Gazette, Baseballism, his mom Mel for the yearly t-shirt and blanket, the good Folks at Harder Sporting Goods, the umpires — Frank Gardner, Jack Buttorf, Don Dunkleberger, Dale Holcomb and Bill Wagner. Jim Winder and Sean McCann for the use of Logue field, the Williamsport Baseball Boosters, K’s for Cancer, Pizza Hut, Pepsi-Cola, the Eastern Lycoming YMCA, the Williamsport Crosscutters, and last but definitely not least, the players, coaches and fans that helped make the day such a great success. One thing’s for sure — it takes a village as the saying goes.

The day raised nearly $4,000 in the effort to strike out cancer. A tip of my Father’s beloved Salt Lake City Babe Ruth World Series cap to you Jake.

Hopefully this event, along with the Backyard Brawl, District 4 championship games, and the first round State Tournament action will return to Historic Bowman field next year.

God Bless America.