Before the AAABA Tournament action begins, softball will be played at Point Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
For the second straight year, a celebrity softball game will be played to raise funds for charity.
The softball game will begin at 2 p.m., immediately following a youth baseball clinic provided by local baseball coaches and former AAABA standouts.
Donations will be accepted for The Santa Fund – a charity of The Tribune-Democrat that provides Christmas gifts for local children whose families are facing financial hardship.
The celebrity game will pair teams led by honorary coaches Johnstown Mayor Frank Janakovic and Chopper, the mascot of the North American Hockey League team the Johnstown Tomahawks.
Chopper’s Red team will feature: Conemaugh Valley head softball coach Paula McCleester and Blue Jays assistant coach Vicki Markiewicz; Greater Johnstown head wrestling coach Will Harris; Tomahawks hockey player Alex Singley, from Latrobe, and Derek Bartsch, the team’s manager of sponsorships and group ticket sales; Tara Bicko, a former Greater Johnstown softball standout now at Shippensburg University; Cambria County commissioners Tom Chernisky and B.J. Smith; Tom Callihan, Westmont Hilltop’s director of athletics; Mainline Newspapers Sports Editor Jake Oswalt; and three from the Tribune-Democrat – Editor Chip Minemyer, Audience Development Manager Nathan Kohan and District Manager Josh Gibson.
The Santa Fund annually provides gifts to more than 1,200 local children.
Donations are housed with the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies, and gifts are purchased through Boscov’s.