By Natalie M. Zeigler
City Manager
The Byerly Park Recreation Complex always hosts a frenzy of athletic events, but beginning tomorrow, it will attract more than its usual share of attention. The 2015 Dixie Girls Ponytails World Series has come to town, bringing together hundreds of people from six states for several days of competition here in Hartsville.
This represents the second time this World Series has come here, and its return provides a wonderful testament to excellent facilities we’ve built. The Dixie Ponytails first played their softball championship at Byerly Park in 2012, and apparently we left them with a favorable impression. Thanks in large part to the work of Parks and Leisure Services Director Phil Gardner, we successfully bid to host the upcoming tournament back in 2013.
For those interested, World Series festivities are launching this evening, July 24, with a parade of players through downtown on Carolina Avenue, beginning from Thornwell School for the Arts and headed to Burry Park, at 6:45 p.m. At about 7:30 p.m., the Opening Ceremonies at Burry Park will officially welcome them to our city. The games will kick off Saturday at Byerly Park, and will be played at 6 and 8 p.m. every day, ending Wednesday. Schedule and ticket information can all be found at www.dixieponytails2015.com.
Events of this caliber show off the excellent tourism potential of Byerly Park. Many of tournament’s costs, including housing for the players, are paid for through sponsorships and advertising. Even so, it’s not just the players who are coming to Hartsville, it’s the families and coaches, all staying at our hotels and eating at our restaurants. Because of this, we’re working to connect with our new visitors while they’re here. Downtown development organization Main Street Hartsville has this week distributed welcome posters to downtown businesses, helping everyone greet the visiting athletes wherever they go.
As good as this tournament is for Hartsville, it isn’t the only example of the great things now happening at Byerly Park. In April, our greatest athletic facility played host to the softball championship of the South Atlantic Conference, Coker College’s home conference. A team including Phil Gardner and our new Hartsville Tourism Director, Jessica Cohen, are now working to bring a youth travel ball tournament to Byerly on Oct. 24 which will benefit the Baylor’s Prayers Foundation.
Byerly Park’s eight diamonds give a home to an array of baseball and softball play from March straight through October, and they are only some of the facilities developed at the park’s 93 acres over the years. “Complex” is the right word for the park, since it also features soccer and football fields, tennis and basketball courts, running tracks and horseshoe pits, to say nothing of the Piratesville Splash Pad, now enjoying as busy a summer season as it’s ever seen. Hartsville’s recreational facilities are shaping the city for the better, and they’re only going to keep doing so.
Natalie Zeigler is the City Manager of Hartsville. For more information, call City Hall at 843-383-3015 or email info2@hartsvillesc.gov.