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Mineral Point's big 4th of July celebration is the same day as our paper(s) publication day - Thursday, July 4th. It's a good thing that we put these out early (on Tuesday, July 2nd) so we can get you the events going on the 4th and so we can get ourselves ready to cover the 4th events. The day in Mineral Point always begins with the "Historic Hill Run", an event many people take part in - for some it's probably their only run of the year! There's always a great parade and plenty of activities going on all day long, including a pork BBQ and fireworks at dusk. The weather says just a slight chance for any rain. Hopefully it'll hold off until everything is finished.
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There's also a big July 4th celebration in Lone Rock that you surely won't want to miss!
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It's Wisconsin State Babe Ruth tournament time again in Dodgeville with the 16-18 year olds tangling starting this coming Saturday (6th) and going into Wednesday (10th) to see who will play in the Ohio Valley Regional leading up to the World Series the following few weeks. The Ohio Valley won't be here in Dodgeville this year, but hopefully next year.
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The following week, starting on the 12th, 10 year olds will be playing at Harris Park to see who will represent the state of Wisconsin at that Ohio Valley Regional.
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I think I was at the concession stand at Centennial Park at least five out of the seven days each week in June for baseball games. They ranged from the 13 year old team to Junior Babe Ruth to Senior Babe Ruth to Home Talent. People attending those games are really happy to see a concession stand. They say it's a great service to provide!
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Ridgeway's Fire Department is celebrating 100 years of service to the area this Saturday. You definitely will want to be there. They promise a huge fire truck parade and a lot of events going on during the day (see above photo). The festivities will culminate with a dance Saturday evening!
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In getting ready for the state 16-18 tournament, on Saturday a bunch of Dodgeville Knights Home Talent baseball players worked on the field at Centennial Park. The rain came at inopportune times, but things were pretty well finished by the evening rain. The field looked very unplayable on Sunday morning, but team members were back at it in mid morning and it was in great shape for their game at 1:00. Following that game, they were back to work to finish the project to get ready for Saturday morning. People don't realize how much work goes into bringing tournaments like this to Dodgeville. They bring in a lot of tourist $$$$!