Tournament shows limited economic value
Staff writer
When fans and families arrived in Marion over the weekend for Region Four’s Babe Ruth Baseball tournament, they were surprised by a lack of places to eat.
“Where is there to eat around here,” multiple visiting parents asked.
Several said they had not seen restaurants within Marion and instead went to Wendy’s in Hillsboro.
Families didn’t have to stick around for a meal or find a place to stay as teams only played one game a day, Chapman parent Mike Schoby said.
“If it’s a double header we usually try to stay in somewhere,” he said.
Though it was a four-day tournament, staying in a hotel wasn’t worth it, Schoby said.
“It’s better to drive for a day versus staying,” he said. “It’s only an hour. Next week when we’re in Liberal, which is four hours away, we’re definitely getting a hotel.”
Chapman won the tournament for ages 13 to 15 earning them an undefeated record, and the Cottonwood Valley League team, with players from Marion, Peabody, Hillsboro, and surrounding counties, took second to make to state Babe Ruth tourney, Saturday in Liberal.
Marion fielded its own team as well, but lost both its games.
Last modified July 18, 2019