On Friday the Elizabethtown Sports Park kicked off the youth baseball tournament season with Baseball Hall Of Famer Cal Ripken, Jr. Ripken was at the park to celebrate the start of The Ripken Experience Elizabethtown that will help youth baseball players experience what it is like to play at the major league level .
“So we wanted to create, you know, a tournament experience that would make everyone feel like Big League. It is really important for us to have really good quality fields to really do a lot of the same things as the big leaguers do. The concept was to bring those types of experiences to more kids so they can really enjoy the game of baseball better. So that’s really what the Ripken Baseball Experience is. I mean, you have a chance to have your own walk-up music, all the amenities that are there. We want to create that experience for all of you,” said Ripken Baseball Founder Cal Ripken, Jr. Ripken shared why the Elizabethtown Sports Park was chosen to become part of The Ripken Experience. “We couldn’t be happier and more proud. This complex is a beautiful complex. In order for us to come out, branch out and grow across the country, the main thing is to have a big league caliber type complex, and this definitely qualifies as a big league quality one.”
Elizabethtown Mayor Jeff Gregory shared his thoughts on seeing this project become a reality. “Another great day at the Etown Sports Park. You know, we announced this collaboration with Ripken Experience last summer, which was our ten year anniversary at the sports park. So we’re really proud of what we’ve done out here and the success that we’ve had out here. But you never rest on your laurels. And you always look for ways to improve. We’re really excited to partner with Ripken Experience. And we think this is just going to be another improvement for not only our sports park, but our community, and continue to grow and get better.”
The tournament continued through the weekend with 30 teams, 54 games and more than 1500 visitors to the city. Twenty additional baseball tournaments will be held at the complex through the fall, welcoming in over 1000 teams this year.
Today is the last day to register to vote in the upcoming primary elections. “We want to make sure everybody is eligible to vote. Voter registration closes at 4:00 PM. We encourage everybody to go to GoVoteKY.com to check your registration. If you’re not registered, you can register right there,” stated Hardin County Clerk Brian D. Smith. For more information, you can also visit the Hardin County Clerk’s Office website at HTTPS://HCCOKY.org.
“The Lawn Party” concert series will kick off this Friday at the grand re-opening of the newly renovated bandstand at Freeman Lake Park. Mayor Jeff Gregory will cut the ribbon to officially kick off the event. Seating will be festival style so those attending will need to bring a chair or blanket but no outside food and drink will be permitted as each concert will feature on-site food and beverage sales.. All ages are welcome to attend. Parking will start at 5pm and the stage act will begin at 6pm. To see future dates and artists participating in the series, go to https://EtownEvents.com
It is opening day at the Elizabethtown Sports Park as they celebrate the start of the inaugural season of the The Ripken Experience tournament season. “It is a very exciting weekend for those of us at the Elizabethtown Sports Park because it is the kickoff to a whole series of The Ripken Experience baseball tournaments. That will happen starting this weekend running all the way through October,” said spokesperson Janna Clark. The opening night festivities include a game featuring hometown 12-under talent. “The opening night is a very exciting event for us where we will feature a ceremonial first pitch and a ribbon cutting. It is go time and time to kick this really exciting season off. The featured game will be the hometown team E-Town Shock playing against the Motor City Hit Dogs coming here from Michigan. We would love for people locally to come out and catch a game of The Ripken Experience baseball.” More information can be found at EtownSports.com
The Cabinet of Health and Family Services is partnering with The Foundation For A Healthy Kentucky to encourage Kentuckians to improve immunity and overall health with a new campaign called “Raise Your Guard, Kentucky.” Data shows that chronic conditions have increased since the start of the pandemic. The campaign encourages people to take several steps such as eating well, moving more and keeping up with annual check-ups, screenings and immunizations. According to a statement about the campaign, Kentucky Commissioner for the Department For Public Health Dr. Steven Stack states that small healthy choices add up to a big positive impact. The campaign includes a video series featuring Kentuckians sharing why and how they stay healthy. Resources are available in several languages and can be found at RaiseYourGuardKY.org
The Elizabethtown Police Department is preparing for the annual Coffee With A Cop event. “On April 27 from 9:00 AM until 11:00 AM, CarLay Coffee along with several of our officers will be at Freeman Lake Park. This is a very informal opportunity for citizens to stop by for a free cup of coffee and good conversation with our staff,” shared Elizabethtown Police Officer Chris Denham. For more information follow the Elizabethtown Police Department Facebook page.
Kentucky State Police will be raising funds for Special Olympics Kentucky in Elizabethtown today. “Kentucky State Police Post 4 will be having its annual Cover The Cruiser event from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the Five Star located at 501 Ring Road,” shared Trooper Scotty Sharpe. A minimum $1 donation gets you a Law Enforcement Torch Run icon that you can personalize and tape onto the cruiser. The Cover The Cruiser event was initiated in 2020 when The Torch Run was canceled due to the pandemic. The Torch Run escorts the Special Olympics Flame Of Hope to kick off the State Summer Games in Richmond each June.
The Hardin County Chamber of Commerce monthly meeting was held Wednesday. The keynote speaker was Jeff Noel, Kentucky’s Secretary of Economic Development. Noel praised not only government and local leaders for their hard work to secure the Blue Oval SK project but the community for their efforts to make the company feel welcome to the community before the decision was made. “The world is looking at us. The world is talking about Elizabethtown. Hardin County. Kentucky. You know, economic development is one of the most ill defined, misunderstood professions that exist. But I can boil it down in a very simple way. And that is tell people what you are gonna do, get it done, live up to all of your obligations and do it on time. Companies hate uncertainty and data, knowledge, understanding and information is that you remove uncertainty in the corporate boardroom,” stated Secretary Noel. Secretary Noel also feels that economic development is not done solely through business deals. “I’m a big believer that economic development is not about cutting the ribbons. It’s not about announcing the jobs. It’s really about understanding that this is about helping people. It all begins with making sure that individuals have access to their fulfilled dreams, to have that opportunity and they have a good job.” Secretary Noel also stated that by securing the Blue Oval SK project, Hardin County helped attract other automotive industry projects to the state by setting an example of what Kentuckians have to offer to companies.
The Cecilian Bank is warning customers about a scam that they have been made aware of. According to the bank, scammers are spoofing the name and phone number on Caller ID to appear as a legitimate call or text. The scammers will attempt to convince the customer to provide their online banking credentials or multi-factor authentication code. If they get that information, they will then tell you to not log into your account for a specific amount of time. Never give your credentials or codes to anyone who calls. If you have concerns, hang up and call the bank directly yourself or visit your local branch.
