The work crews and bulldozers arrive July 13 at Veterans Memorial Field as work begins on more than $1 million in improvements to the historic ballpark and associated area.
But there will be some serious baseball in the days leading up to construction.
The 25th annual Legion Midsummer Classic, sponsored by the Ely Echo, promises to be spectacular both on the field and off.
In all, 10 teams will be here for the four-day event, which starts Thursday and runs through Sunday, July 12 and promises a full weekend of top-flight baseball.
Ely will host 19 games in a four-day span while five more are set to be played at Soudan. Organizers are going all-out, putting together an array of promotions during each day of the tournament to draw people to the ballpark.
Those include the annual Veterans Night (see related story) celebration Thursday, and a Little League/Girls Softball Night the following evening.
Over the weekend, there’s a dinner at the ballpark and Ely alumni celebration, with a grand finale on Sunday as the field goes dark for the rest of the summer because of the giant improvement project.
“It will be a huge and memorable weekend of baseball,” said Tom Coombe, Ely’s head coach and tournament organizer. “We’ve got 11 very good teams and a great mix of talent, and a lot of fun at the ballpark every day.”
The veterans and Little League events have become staples on the ballpark calendar, and in advance of the project, which will result both in major renovations to the playing surface as well as the construction of both a viewing deck and new concession/bathroom building, Ely will celebrate the facility’s rich history.
Along with hosting numerous state tournaments, the facility has also been home to countless successful Ely teams.
Former players are invited both Saturday and Sunday to take in the final two Ely home games before the project and be recognized on field.
“A new era for the field will start next year, but really it’s a continuation of the history that’s been built up the last many decades with so many tournaments and all of the great baseball players who have come from Ely,” said Coombe. “We hope as many alumni can make it to one of the games.”
In addition to baseball, food will be on the menu at the ballpark concession stand, which has developed a reputation in its own right for all of its offerings.
Burgers, bratwurst, pulled pork sandwiches, nachos and even breakfast will be on the menu throughout the course of the event, and the Saturday session is billed as a night to have “Dinner at the Ballpark.”
The baseball itself figures to be top-notch with an array of power-packed teams.
Included is St. Louis Park from the Twin Cities, which won the event in 2024 and boasts players from a Class AAAA high school.
Also back is Viroqua, which is located in Wisconsin near LaCrosse and has racked up numerous Wisconsin state tournaments.
Viroqua generally plays one of the most ambitious schedules across the region and developed its program under the leadership of the late Pete Swanson, who collected more than 1,000 career wins and passed away just two days after his team took part in the 2024 Midsummer Classic.
Host Ely has won 13 straight games to start the season but will be tested immediately by Thunder Bay, which won three games last weekend in a tournament at Rochester.
Add Aitkin, which made the state tournament in Class AA high school baseball and LeSueur-Henderson, which is ranked third in the state among Division II Legion teams, and there are even more contenders in the mix.
Roseau has been coming to Ely tournaments for over a decade and brings one of the top programs in northwestern Minnesota, while Cloquet and Hermantown represent solid Class AAA high school programs in this area.
Tri City Maroon brings players from Irondale in the Twin Cities, while a first-time entrant is Fergus Falls, coached by former Ely teacher and assistant Legion coach Shane Thielke.
The tournament started with another name in 2002 and the Ely Echo stepped in two years ago to take on sponsorship of the event.
“I know I say this every year, but I think it bears repeating that from top to bottom, you’re not going to find a better American Legion tournament than this one in northern Minnesota,“ said Coombe. “There’s a great mix of talent from across the state. Whoever wins this thing will beat some very, very good teams.”
Ely is the smallest program in the field, with many of the remaining entries coming from Class AA, AAA or AAAA high school teams.
The action starts at 5:15 p.m. Thursday and continues throughout the weekend.
July 9-12, Veterans Memorial Field
Tournament Schedule Thursday July 9 - Ely
5:15 p.m. - LeSueur-Henderson vs. Thunder Bay
7:30 p.m. - Ely vs. Thunder Bay
10 a.m. - Cloquet vs. Thunder Bay
12:15 p.m. - Hermantown vs. LeSueur-Henderson
2:30 p.m. - St. Louis Park vs. Roseau
4:45 p.m. - Tri City Maroon vs. Viroqua
7 p.m. - Ely vs. Fergus Falls
Friday July 10 - Soudan
4 p.m. - Aitkin vs. LeSueur-Henderson
Saturday July 11 - Ely
8:30 a.m. - St. Louis Park vs. Fergus Falls
10:45 a.m. - Cloquet vs. Aitkin
1 p.m. - LeSueur-Henderson vs. Viroqua
3:15 p.m. - Fergus Falls vs. Tri City Maroon
5:30 p.m. - Ely vs. Aitkin
7:45 p.m. -Viroqua vs. Roseau
Saturday July 11 - Soudan
10:30 a.m.- Tri City Maroon vs. Thunder Bay
1 p.m. - Roseau vs. Hermantown
3:30 p.m. - St. Lous Park vs. Thunder Bay
9 a.m. - Hermantown vs. Tri City Maroon
11:15 a.m. - Viroqua vs. St. Louis Park
1:30 p.m. - Aitkin vs. Hermantown
3:45 p.m. - Ely vs. Roseau
Sunday July 12 - Soudan 10 a.m. - Fergus Falls vs. Cloquet Friday July 10- Ely Sunday July 12 - Ely
Fast Facts
• Daily admission price of $6 with a tournament pass available for $15
• Viroqua won the
2022 and 2024 tournaments while St. Louis Park won in
2023. No champion was crowned last year because of multiple rainouts.
• The tournament offers a mix of small and larger-school teams.
• Fergus Falls and LeSueur-Henderson are first-time participants while Tri City Maroon returns after a two-year absence.
• The first Midsummer Classic was in
2002 and included six teams.
• The Midsummer Classic provides a major boost to the economy, bringing in teams and fans who spend two-to-three nights in area lodging establishments.
