Event organizers would love to have the kind of results the organizers of Shellbrook’s Ballapalooza had over the weekend. On Saturday, they drew in hundreds of baseball players from around the province and had a day where even the weather cooperated.
For the second year in a row, Ballapalooza was a huge success for Shellbrook. From the ball diamonds to petting zoos and beer gardens, there were events running through the whole day.
“It was a blast,” said organizer Nicole Philp. “The community came out and several other communities joined us for different events that day. Turnout was great, the weather couldn’t have been better. It was like we ordered up a day of sunshine and a breeze to keep us cool, and it delivered.”
At last year’s event, Philp estimated there were anywhere between 1,000 and 1,500 people coming to Shellbrook. While they don’t have an official attendance for this year’s event, it looks like they got to around the same impressive numbers.
“We definitely saw our community just about double in size over the weekend,” Philp said, “which is always pretty exciting for a small town to have that many people drop in.”
So many people arriving in town required a lot of volunteer help to make sure Ballapalooza ran smoothly, and organizers got all the support they needed and then some.
“Not only were people willing to sign up for shifts but as the canteen got busier, as the gate got busier, there were people jumping in who hadn’t initially signed up just to step in and support and help,” Philp said. “That was just incredible to see.”
Philp said she got great feedback from kids and parents, with ball players from the U7 to U17 age groups taking part. Later on in the evening it was the adult’s turn as the minor hockey and minor baseball boards went head-to-head.
“It was a really great event, it was a ton of fun,” Philp said. “Both sets of teams were having a blast and laughing their way around the bases. It was definitely a great way to finish the night.”
Philp added an event like this drawing more people into the community means a boost for local businesses like restaurants and gas stations. She also said that right now, plans are already in the works to bring back the event next year.
“I can certainly predict this will be another annual event,” she said.
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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com
On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP
