Shriners’ little league tourney canceled for first time in 75 years

HEATH, Ohio (WCMH) — On weekends in June, the fields at Mound City Little League are usually crowded with baseball and softball games as part of the Licking County Shriner Tournament.

But this year, for the first time in 75 years, those fields will look the same as they do in the offseason: empty.

“It’s very difficult,” said tournament chairman Tyler Vanvelzor. “We had a lot of meetings leading up to this. We do every year preparing for the tournament, but we were watching what was going on with the governor and talked with Mound City to make sure we were able to have the tournament this year.”

On Sunday, Mound City Little League made the decision to cancel the summer season. That was a big factor in the Licking County Shriners’ decision to shut down what would have been the 76^th tournament.

“I think it’s hard because we are doing registrations, all the parents came down, all the kids were happy to get on the fields, so we actually let them run around on the fields,” said Mound City chairman Chris Newbauer. “But I just feel bad for the parents and all the players in Licking County that’s not going to be able to play this year.”

Vanvelzor knows firsthand what it’s like to take the field in the Licking County tournament. He played starting when he was 11 years old, and that was just the beginning.

“I’ve umpired, I’ve been park director, coached, sat back and just watched, there’s a lot of different aspects,” he said. “It’s usually very busy. We have anywhere from 1200 to 1500 people here at any given time for the finals.”

The crowds were one of Vanvelzor’s big concerns for the safety of the players, coaches, and families attending; but also, he had to think about the Shriner volunteers.

“Our club’s average age is about 70 years old,” Vanvelzor said. “Being that they’re a lot older and in that susceptible age range, we wanted to make sure that they were safe as well as the parents, grandparents and all the spectators here.”

While baseball is the draw of the event, its impact goes far beyond the boundaries of the diamond. Last year, Licking County Shriners raised $22,500 from the tournament that was then divided into three payments for hospitals in Louisville, Cincinnati and Erie. With no tournament this year, those funds won’t be there.

“It’s a tough decision because the kids in the hospitals are struggling as much as our community is struggling with the pandemic right now,” said Vanvelzor.

But he refuses to end things there and has found a way to still have the tournament raise some money.

“We are actually in contact with the Potentate at the Aladdin Shrine in Grove City today. He has authorized us to put together a book of history that we can sell online once we get it written up of the 75 years,” he said. “I have a person that’s going to write this up over the summer and hopefully have it out by the first of August, beginning of September.”

Mound City Little League is also refusing to let this season end before it could begin. Plans are in the works to schedule a fall baseball season this year from August to September. You can find more information about Mound City Little League here: www.leaguelineup.com/moundcity or on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MoundCityLL/

If you want to donate to the Licking County Shriners, donations can be sent here:

Licking County Shrine Club
PO Box 2442
Heath, Ohio 43056

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