8, Friday | July 15, 2011, Bangor Daily News - Lincoln Homecoming Festival
Wiffleball Tournament has become the traditional early kickoff for the Festival
Beans
It’s five innings, with two outs per inning. The games last 45 minutes to an hour. And the annual tournament has become the unofficial kickoff to the Lincoln Homecoming Festival. This year marks the 15th annual Lincoln Wiffleball Tournament, featuring 20 teams competing in a daylong extravaganza Saturday, July 16, starting at 9 a.m. Each team will play at least three games, and the final two teams will face off at the Mattanawcook Academy Practice Field. “We’re chasing the sun at the end of the day at times,” said Mark McCafferty, who organizes the tournament with Jason Clay and has played wiffleball since he was a kid: It was a lot easier to get a few kids together for a wiffleball game than 18 kids for two baseball teams. It began in July 1997 when 13 wiffleball teams first competed in Lincoln. In 2005, the renamed Lincoln Wiffleball Tournament took place the Saturday before the Festival, a tradition observed since then. Teams, which can be co-gender, often travel far to compete, sometimes heading north from southern Maine or Massachusetts, with many teams returning year after year. Some kids who began playing in middle school now return as adults, and even sees teams comprised of three generations competing every year. McCafferty said the Internet has done a lot for wiffleball’s popularity, with groups sharing ideas and resources. “People saw what other people were doing... and put together their own tournaments and leagues,” he said. Many groups sponsor charities, and McCafferty’s group is no different. The registration fees help support the Lincoln Recreation Department. Originally, the tournament was held on homecoming Saturday, but the all-day tournament competed with the parade and other events, so moving to the week before has proven a perfect introduction to Homecoming Week. “I think it’s a nice way to ease the schedule and provide more opportunities for people to participate in Homecoming events,” McCafferty said. He can’t say enough about the town and the Rec Department working with him to make the tournament a success. “I’ve been really happy with the community support,” he said. “That’s been a positive relationship for us.”
— mine included,” he said. Sproul has overseen the beans since 1970, using what he calls a “high-tech system.” The system uses welded truck tire rims set into a long, dug trench, packed with crushed stone to create a heat sink, and then covered by planted grass. The beans start cooking at night; the cooks use 230 pounds dry weight of yellow eye and pea beans. Last, year, 776 people enjoyed the supper. And in all its years, the event has only been rained out once (it relocated inside the church). This year, it’s just $8 per person or $4 for children under 12.
Love wiffleball? Never played before? Register your team at www.lincolnwiffle.us and join the Lincoln Wiffleball Tournament. The money goes to a great cause, and you’ll have a lot of fun.
Pitching the wiffleball to a batter. Wiffleball is easier than baseball and only requires two people on a team, although there can be as many as six. Teams from all over Maine and New England will come to Lincoln to participate in this fun tournament.
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