TOURNAMENTS RETURN TO WARREN AREA

By BRIAN FERRY bferry@timesobserver.com

Softballtournaments are a long-standing summer tradition in Warren County.

This year will see the 44th annual for the Terry F. Ristau Memorial Industrial Softball Tournament and the 31st edition of the Michael J. Kolos Memorial (Humane Society) Softball Tournament.

The Humane Society event will be held Saturday, July 29. The Industrial Tournament will be three weeks later –Friday, Aug. 18, through Sunday, Aug. 20. Both will be held at Betts Park.

“This long-standing event has provided a fun-filled weekend of business-to-business competition,” Warren County Chamber of Business and Industry Director of Chamber Operations and Tourism John Papalia said. “We look forward to another fun filled year of competition.”

“Michael started this tournament to prepare for the industrial tournament,” Paws Along the River Humane Society Executive Director Karen Kolos said. “It was to be the warm up tourney to prepare for the big industrial tournament. Our tournament was special and a player did not have to work for a company to play or be in a league. Anyone could play for the age of 16.”

In the past, the event drew upwards of 35 times.

“The tournament was the second largest in the county and we drew teams from Erie, Pittsburgh and nearby towns,” Kolos said. “Our 3-day-long tournament was our largest fundraiser raising more than $6,000 to $7,000 every year. Local businesses supported our tournament and the industrial tournament which created excitement to the upcoming ball season at Betts Park.”

“Michael loved softball and sat on the board for the slow pitch teams,” she said. “He was instrumental in developing the over-30 league and contributed many hours to this group’s organization.

“After his passing in 2009 there was a slow decrease in the number of teams and players for our tournament,”

Kolos said. “Other organizations and tournaments also saw decreases in players.”

The Industrial Tournament has undergone changes to adapt to those decreases.

This year, WCCBI has created a new division.

“We are looking to continue to build up the business competition and have created a new division that allows smaller chamber member businesses to join together and form teams to compete against each other,” Papalia said. Both tournaments provide funding to Warren County organizations.

“A portion of the event proceeds benefits the United Fund of Warren County,” Papalia said of the Industrial Tournament.

“We need teams and players to sign up and know that their participation provides PAWS with much needed funds to keep working for our community’s animals,” Kolos said. “We can’t forget the man who started our fundraiser and the outstanding sponsors in United Refining Company and Kinzua Veterinary Clinic that continue their efforts to keep us playing ball.”