Summer youth sports on horizon

PANAMA CITY BEACH, FL - The Beach City Council will decide today whether to close several roads in June and July for a series of Sunday parades through Pier Park to welcome an annual event crucial to area tourism.
   
With the Grand Slam Baseball World Series just around the corner, today's Council action signals the return to Bay County of a series of sports events that puts bodies in beds and dollars in the pockets of businesses.
   
"You'll know they are in town because they are real good at painting up their vehicles," said Richard Sanders, director of sports marketing for the Panama City Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau.
   
The return of the youth teams to Frank Brown Park and other county ball fields is an important engine that helps drive the local economy, he said.
   
"I think it's very important to the economy. And I'm seeing an increase in the numbers this year," Sanders said, noting that as of Wednesday, 1,022 teams already had committed to the tournaments. "And that number will go up."
   
Sanders said the series of tournaments will mean the booking of about 50,000 room-nights through the first week of August, with each team averaging about nine rooms for seven consecutive nights. A family who is staying in one room for seven days represents seven room-nights.
   
The first Pier Park "Parade of Teams" will take place Sunday, June 28, with anywhere from 75 to 125 teams participating. Each team averages about 43 players and parents, Sanders said.
   
Other Grand Slam tournaments will follow, with parades scheduled for July 5 and July 26, Sanders said. Additional July parades are being planned for the USFA Softball World Series. "This is our key time for youth sports," Sanders said.
   
Mary Carmichael, city leisure services director, said the parades will begin with opening ceremonies at Aaron Bessant Park before winding their way through the Pier Park shopping complex.
   
Merchants are offering extended hours and discounts following the Sunday parades, she said.