The Paris Optimist Foundation (POF) invites the public to attend their Annual Baseball Bash & Auction on Saturday, October 14 from 5:30 p.m.-10:00 p.m.
The annual dinner, dance and auction event will be held at the Love Civic Center and will be catered by Savory Sisters Catering. Entertainment will be provided by D. J. Randy Nation and bar service will be provided by Paris Mobile Bar. A wide variety of silent and live auction items will be available for bidding. Tickets are not needed to attend only the auction that begins approximately 6:30 p.m. and the dance immediately following the auction.
POF is proud to announce Paris Dairy Queen as Gland Slam sponsor and First Federal Community Bank as Home Run Sponsor.
The Paris Optimist Club’s Friend of Youth honors will also be presented at the event, and five youth baseball teams that had post-season success during Diamond Youth Baseball (DYB) all-star competition will be recognized.
The live auction has 40 items and includes a weekend stay in a beautiful vacation home on Arkansas’ White River; an AQHA stallion breeding session; kids’ birthday package with cake, treats, snow cones and bounce house; a 10-hour rental of Heritage House Party Barn; reserved ballpark parking spaces, and a baseball autographed by the members of the 8U all-stars that won the DYB World Series.
Tickets are on sale for $35 each for adults and for $15 for those under 21. The tickets can be purchased in advance by contacting Paris Optimist Executive Director Sabra Vaughan at (903) 249-3499 or ed.parisoptimist@gmail.com. Tickets will also be available at the door.
The Paris Optimist Foundation supports funding the Paris Optimist Club’s ballpark improvements and programs and also provides scholarships to local graduating seniors.
The Paris Optimist Club’s baseball program provided recreational baseball for approximately 700 Lamar County boys and girls in spring 2023, 300 in fall 2023 and 40 Buddy Baseball players. The Charles Taylor Youth Complex is the only recreational youth baseball facility in Lamar County that is equipped to host Diamond Youth Baseball tournaments. In 2023, POF awarded $9,000 in scholarships to Lamar County graduating seniors who had played Paris Optimist Baseball.
The public can also support the Paris Optimist Foundation through the Kroger Community Rewards Program, and donations to the Bill Scholl Memorial Player Assistance Fund.
For more information, contact Sabra Vaughan at (903) 249-3499 or ed.parisoptimist.com
