SPORTS
A8 — THE OBSERVER
THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2022
Swinging in the moonlight
Northeast Oregon has
strong representation at
the tournament with teams
from La Grande, Cove,
Pendleton, Hermiston and
Baker City. Oregon’s rep-
resentation continues out-
side of the northeast, with a
team traveling all the way
from Hillsboro. Out of state
teams include Walla Walla,
Washington, Meridian,
Idaho, and Boise, Idaho.
Games will be played at
Optimist Field, Trice Com-
munity Field and Marcum
Field at Pioneer Park. What
makes the Moonlight Tour-
nament unique is that
games are played one right
after the other, meaning
teams will take the fi eld
at all hours of the day and
night.
Each team is guaranteed
to play four games in the
initial bracket, Gianandrea
said. The winning teams
will advance to the cham-
pions bracket while the
losing teams enter into the
beer league.
After the initial bracket
wraps up Aug. 6, there will
be the home run derby. Par-
ticipants in the derby will
have a set amount of time
to hit as many home runs as
possible. Gianandrea said
the details of the competi-
tion are still being worked
out, but the Optimist Club
is providing the prize for
the derby.
Following the derby, the
beer league will kick back
off the game play. After
those games wrap up, the
championship bracket will
begin.
For more than 20 years,
the La Grande Optimist
Club hosted the annual
tournament, and at the
height of the co-ed tourna-
ment’s popularity, 40 teams
signed up, said Danny Bell,
Optimist Club member and
former tournament director.
Slowly the number of teams
started to decrease — a
similar trend had been seen
years prior with the men’s
tournament. Bell said he
thought this was due to the
older generation of soft-
ball players getting too old
to play and the younger
players not signing up.
Throughout the years
the club ran the tourna-
ment, it paid for all the
costs — security, prizes,
game offi cials and food
for the concession stand.
Money that was earned
from the tournament
was reinvested into club
programs and the local
youth. As team enroll-
ment decreased, the Opti-
mist Club decided that it
was not worth running the
tournament if they would
be doing so at a loss. When
that happened, the club
turned the tournament over
to the city of La Grande.
“I think it’s an awesome
idea to try to pull it back,”
Bell said. “I 100% wish the
city the best.”
Under new management
from Parks and Rec there
will be some changes to
the Moonlight Tournament
— which the department
hopes will be well received.
“We’re trying to partner
with as many local busi-
nesses as possible. We want
people to come here and
enjoy La Grande,” Gianan-
drea said.
Each team playing in
the tournament will get a
packet with coupons and
discount codes to local
businesses in La Grande.
Parks and Rec has also
partnered with Northeast
Oregon Public Transporta-
tion to set up a temporary
shuttle stop at Pioneer Park
for the duration of the tour-
nament. They will be run-
ning service to downtown
La Grande and also out to
the fairgrounds since the
tournament coincides with
the Union County Fair.
“We are super excited
about it. We want as many
local businesses and busi-
ness owners involved. It
benefi ts the whole commu-
nity,” Gianandrea said.
a year ago played every
game on the road, open
with two more road games
before their home opener on
Sept. 16 against Wallowa.
Other key home dates for
Elgin include Oct. 7 against
Adrian, Oct. 14 against
Union and Oct. 28 against
Cove.
Union gets an early
test Sept. 9 on the road
against Powder Valley, and
wraps its regular season
Oct. 28 on the road against
defending champion
Adrian. The home slate
for the Bobcats includes
an Oct. 7 contest against
Wallowa.
Cove has an early road
matchup at Ione on Sept. 9,
then returns home to face
Adrian Sept. 16. The Leop-
ards end with consecutive
road games, including at
Wallowa Oct. 21.
Wallowa spends its fi rst
month of the season on the
road, with games at the
Dufur Classic, Sherman,
Elgin and Adrian all before
the Cougars face Imbler
in their home opener Sept.
30. The Cougars’ regu-
lar-season fi nale is at home
against Crane Oct. 28 at
6 p.m.
And at the 6-man level,
Joseph’s schedule includes
a three-game homestand
against Harper, Prairie City
and Pine Eagle. The Eagles’
matchup against Wheeler
County, last year’s de facto
champion, is slated for a
road matchup at 7 p.m.
Oct. 14.
Moonlight
Tournament makes
return after four-
year hiatus
By ISABELLA CROWLEY
The Observer
LA GRANDE — After
a four-year hiatus, the La
Grande Moonlight Tourna-
ment returns.
The tournament, which
runs Friday, Aug. 5, to
Sunday, Aug. 7, at Pioneer
Park, is being hosted by La
Grande Parks and Recre-
ation, along with the Pend-
leton Parks and Recreation
and La Grande Optimist
Club.
The two departments are
splitting the workload —
with La Grande handling
logistics and registration
and Pendleton managing
the bracket and running of
games, according to Chris
Gianandrea, recreation
coordinator for the City of
La Grande Parks and Rec-
reation department. While
no longer the primary orga-
nizers, the Optimist Club is
still involved in the tourna-
ment — running the con-
cession stand and providing
prizes.
“For a tournament that
hasn’t been done in four
years, we were guessti-
mating 16 teams,” Gianan-
drea said.
Fifteen teams have
signed up — coming from
across Oregon and as far
away as Washington and
Idaho, said Gianandrea.
FOOTBALL
Continued from Page A7
the battle against Enter-
prise, faces Pilot Rock at
Eastern Oregon Univer-
sity Sept. 2. The Panthers
open district play at Crane
Sept. 16, and host Elgin a
week later.
The Elgin Huskies, who
The Observer, File
Douglas Trice Field awaits teams to try out its new turf on Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021, in La Grande’s Pioneer Park. The fi eld will be one of three
in Pioneer Park that will host the La Grande Moonlight Tournament Friday, Aug. 5, to Sunday, Aug. 7.
Fall
Leagues
Forming
Now!
2022 Union County Fair Schedule
Wednesday, August 3
8:00 am Fair Opens
8:30 am FFA/4-H Swine Conformation - market followed by
breeding Beef breeding immediately following swine show with
½ hour break FFA/4-H Beef Breeding & Dairy follows Swine
Show
8:30 am FFA/4-H Sheep Conformation - market followed by
breeding Goats immediately following sheep show with ½ hour
break FFA/4-H Meat Goat Conformation – market followed
by breeding
10:00 am Exhibit Booths Open
10:00 am - 11:00 am Lego Time (Small Stage)
1:00pm Terry Lamont (small stage)
2:30 pm - 3:30 pm Countryfied (Large Stage)
3:30 pm Randy Woody (small stage)
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm Carla’s Fiddle School (Small Stage)
4:00 pm FFA/4-H Market Steer Conformation
5:00 pm Open Class Sheep & Meat Goat Show Open Class Beef
& Dairy Cattle Show (immediately following beef show)
5:30 pm Talent Show (Small Stage)
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm Countryfied (Large Stage)
10:00 pm Fair Closes
Thursday, August 4
8:00 am Fair Opens
8:00 am Free Breakfast Sponsored by Grocery Outlet and The
Observer
8:00am Blue Mountaineers (small stage)
8:30 am FFA Swine Showmanship followed by 4-H Swine
Showmanship 8:30 am FFA Sheep Showmanship followed by
4-H Sheep Showmanship Goats immediately following sheep
show with ½ break FFA Meat Goat Showmanship followed by
4-H Meat Goat Showmanship
9:00 am DeLong Applications due at Livestock Office
9:00 am Feed and Growth Records due at Livestock Office
10:00 am Exhibit Booths Open
10:00 am - 11:00 am Lego Time (Small Stage)
11:30 am - 12:30 pm Blue Plate Special (Small Stage)
1:00 pm Randy Woody (small stage)
2:00 pm ADGA Open Class Sanctioned Dairy Goat Show
NO EARLY CHECK IN)
2:30 pm - 3:30 pm Lynque Oveson (Small Stage)
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm Tiller’s Folly (Large Stage)
4:00 pm -5:00 pm Alka Mahdi (Small Stage)
4:00 pm FFA Beef Showmanship followed by 4-H Beef
Showmanship
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm Becky’s Dance Studio (Small Stage)
6:30 pm 4-H Archery Competition – Fair Horse Arena
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm Alka Mahdi (Small Stage)
8:30 pm - 10:00 pm Tiller’s Folly (Large Stage)
10:00 pm Fair Closes
Friday August 5
8:00 am Fair Opens
8:00 am FFA/4-H Dairy Goat Showmanship followed by
breeding – Sheep/goat arena
9:00 am 4-H Citizenship Award due at 4-H Office
9:00 am ADGA Open Class Sanctioned Dairy Goat Show
10:00 am Exhibit Booths Open
10:00 am 4-H/FFA Livestock Judging Contest (beef/sheep ring
bleachers)
10:00 am - 11:00 am Lego Time Championship (Small Stage)
11:30 am FFA Round Robin
1:00 pm Delong & Ruth Becker Award Interviews
1:30 pm Women’s Elk Calling Championship
2:30 pm - 3:30 pm Ripple Effect (Large Stage)
2:30 pm - 4:30 pm Wasteland Kings (Small Stage)
3:00 pm Pee Wee Show
4:00 pm Fair Parade Line Up
5:30 pm Fair Parade Downtown
5:30 pm - 6:30 pm Parade (Downtown La Grande)
6:30 pm Mutton Busting & Stick Horse Race - Mavericks Arena
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm Wasteland Kings (Small Stage)
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm Mutton Busting, Goat Tying, Stick Horse
Race (Mavericks Arena)
8:30 pm - 10:00 pm Ripple Effect (Large Stage)
7:30 pm 4-H Ice Cream Social – 4-H Exhibit Building
8:30 pm - 10:00 pm Teen Dance Sponsored by Cook Memorial
Library and LaGrande Wrestling
10:00 pm Fair Closes
Saturday, August 6
8:00 am Fair Opens
10:00 am Exhibit Booths Open
10:00 am - 11:00 am FFA Awards (Small Stage)
11:00 am - 12:00 pm 4-H Awards (Small Stage)
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm 4-H Revue Show (Small Stage)
2:30 pm - 3:30 pm Sage & Stone (Small Stage)
3:30 – 5:00 pm Auction Buyers Appreciation Dinner & Check I
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm Brewers Grade (Large Stage)
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm Jeremy Skankel (Small Stage)
5:00 pm - 8:30 pm Jr. Livestock Auction (Livestock Barn)
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm Jeremy Skankel (Small Stage)
8:30 pm - 10:00 pm Brewers Grade (Large Stage)
10:00 pm Fair Closes
Sunday, Aug 7
8:00 am Open Horse Show check-in UC Fair Arena
8:45 am Open Horse Show UC Fair Arena
8:00 am - 3:00 pm Static Exhibit Pick up for Open Class & 4-H
exhibits
Restaurant & Sports
Bar - NOW OPEN!
3 Happy Hour
3-6pm Daily
3 12 Lane Bowling Alley
3 Video Arcade & Pool
Open Daily at 11:30am!
BRICKYARD LANES
1212 Jefferson Avenue
Downtown La Grande, Oregon
Fall Leagues Forming Now! For more
info visit:
Brickyardlanes.com/leagues