With major metro areas in Omaha and Lincoln a short drive away, it's always a big deal when Washington County communities can play host to tournaments that attract teams from the entire state or from across state lines.
One of the most recent examples of this was the Hoopstock Classic tournament at the Gardner-Hawks center in Blair the last two weekends. Dozens of young players – and their parents - from throughout the state traveled to Blair to participate.
What this means is that, one, the area has a facility that fits this kind of a tournament and two, has a community where people can comfortably travel and enjoy an afternoon.
When an event finds a home in Washington County, the respective community does what it can to make sure the organizers feel the need to return and make sure that it becomes an event that players, coaches and parents want to return to.
An event like this takes hours of preparation of the facility ahead of time and volunteers throughout the day to help out. Restaurants and hotels become busier and the infrastructure is tested with increased traffic. To execute an all-day or multi-day event with hundreds of people coming to town takes attention to detail and patience from top to bottom and the community typically responds in a way that impresses those from out of town.
Washington County has earned a reputation for being a place a little off the beaten path where sporting or fine arts events can come and be away from the hustle and bustle of the city without feeling like they're sacrificing many amenities. More events are starting to take notice.
For example, last year, hundreds of youth bicyclists flocked to Blair for the Nebraska Interscholastic Cycling League's first sanctioned ride in Blair at Black Elk Niehardt Park. The NICL has pledged to host more events at the park because it, and the community, provided a unique environment that made participants feel welcome.
This summer, the Youth Sports Complex in Blair will host the USA Softball of Nebraska Class A 10 to 18U tournament for the first time. That's a testament to the work done by the softball and complex committees to make the facility a top-tier venue for softball in the state.
We're lucky in Blair to have a tight-knit community but one that is welcoming to out-of-towners in the name of activities for for youth.
