Savannah Watterson of the Grant County Wildfire team hits the ball during last weekend's Little League State Softball Tournament in Medford.

JOHN DAY — Grant County Little League is seeking volunteers to help with the 2024 District 3 baseball and softball all-star tournaments that will take place at the Seventh Street Sports Complex from June 26-July 4.

Around 45 teams are expected to compete in the tournament, bringing 2,000 to 2,500 people to John Day over the course of the nine-day event. 2024 will mark the first year the tournament has been held in Grant County in over 20 years.

Grant County Little League board member Aaron Lieuallen stressed the need for volunteers at the Tuesday, May 14, meeting of the John Day City Council. He said hosting the tournament is a heavy lift that will require the support of the entire community.

The organization needs everything from stat keepers to pitch counters, concession stand helpers, garbage cleanup and and more to ensure the tournament runs smoothly.

Grant County Little League also asked the city council to allow access to some city-owned land for both parking and camping. Lieuallen said the locations are similar to what the city used in planning for the influx of visitors during the 2017 solar eclipse.

The Grant County Little League will need to make a number of facilities improvemens before the tournament begins, Lieuallen said, including a new scoreboard, dugout repairs, roofing and painting, fencing, backstop repairs and infield modifications. In all, the organization expects to spend between $25,000 and $35,000 on the tournament, with its only source of revenue being concession stand sales.

To help offset costs, the Grant County Little League asked the city to donate RV and camping reservation fees at two city sites to the organization, along with proceeds from the water and sewer usage fees for the RV sites. The group also requested a small amount of Public Works Department time to charge water lines and do site prep to get designated areas ready for camping and parking.

Both the request for access to city-owned sites and the donation of camping fees and sewer usage fees were approved unanimously by the city council.

Those interested in volunteering for the All-Star tournament can call the Grant County Chamber of Commerce at 541-575-0547 or call Grant County Little League board Chair Bob Cobb at 541-792-0654.