Shamong is being invaded Memorial Day Weekend.
Not by aliens. Not by pine beetles.
Young baseball players from all over the Delaware Valley, from Pennsylvania to North Jersey to Tabernacle and Medford, will swarm to the Shamong Township Recreational Complex (Dingletown) on Forked Neck Road for the sixth annual War in the Woods baseball tournament.
The Indian Mills Athletic Association is hosting the weekend event from Friday, May 25 to Monday, May 28 and thousands of people are expected to enter the complex each day for the games.
It is Shamong’s biggest event of the year, with 80 teams from 8U to 14U coming out, said tournament director Tim Roach.
“They come from all over,” Roach said.
The local community contributes hours upon hours of volunteer work during and before the event with at least 100 to 125 volunteers on average, he said.
“It is absolute baseball chaos,” he said. “It’s unbelievable.”
Shamong EMS will be on site throughout the weekend to provide support as needed to the expected daily influx of 3,000 people.
The tournament is free for spectators to attend, said Roach, with the added bonus of complimentary parking.
For months, the town has been gearing up for the weekend. At Saturday, April 14’s Opening Day ceremonies for baseball and softball, head softball coach Mark Georgette and association president Dean Egan were already exuberant, explaining that the small town feel of Shamong makes the area a great spot for the tournament.
Roach recently echoed that sentiment.
“We keep it reasonably priced,” he said, so teams can sign up without breaking the bank.
Every year, the tournament quickly fills.
IMAA contributes a significant amount per year to the athletic complex that is owned by Shamong Township, and the association always tries to reinvest some of the raised money, Roach said.
“We have a really nice facility,” he said, with nice grass to boot.
When the tournament began, 20 teams were involved.
“Our current mayor, Jon Shevelew, actually started a Memorial Day fundraiser for his travel baseball team,” he said.
Shevelew then turned the weekend over to Roach and it became an IMAA fundraiser instead, where 60 teams came out that year and the numbers escalated from there.
“We use every field we have, every minute of the day,” Roach said. They also use a field at Indian Mills School for 14U players.
Volunteers will be on site from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day of the tournament, he said.
“It’s a lot of work, but it’s also fun,” he explained.
The association also orders the best of the best when it comes to feeding visitors.
There will be some local vendors at the complex including a Wing Wagon by Pic-A-Lilli Inn.
“We give out great food at great prices,” he said.
They serve fresh cut French fries, cook up extra large hamburgers and preorder rolls.
If the enticement of tantalizing food options isn’t enough, Roach suggests watching the little 8U players for added entertainment.
“They are the cutest things,” he said. “They are adorable.”
It important to involve the local youth through sports, he said.
“Sports teaches a lot of life lessons,” he said, from communicating well to gaining a good work ethic at a young age.
Roach encourages the whole town to become involved in this event that is such a positive for the community.
“There’s going to be people from all around the local area,” he said. “There’s just people everywhere. It’s really cool.”
For more information, contact Tim Roach at (609) 377–7729 or troach@imaabaseball.org.
