Baseball history was made in Hartselle over the weekend as seven- and eight-year-old baseball players, coaches, parents and fans from four states poured into town for the 2012 Region II Dixie Baseball World Series Tournament.

The tournament lineup consisted of three all-star teams from South Carolina and two each from Georgia and Florida. Hartselle entered American and National Division teams. Never before had Hartselle youth baseball hosted a world series tournament and not since 1976, when the Southeastern Senior Babe Ruth League Tournament was held here, had the city brought in teams from out-of-state for a baseball event.

The out-of-town visitors, all of whom were in town a minimum of three days—Friday , Saturday and Sunday—had a number of good reasons to enjoy their stay in “The City of Southern Hospitality.”

As a follow-up to Friday’s opening ceremony, the new Aquatic Center was made available free of charge to players and parents, along with a home-smoked picnic-style barbecue meal. Each team played at least one game on Saturday and Sunday and fans crowed the youth baseball complex in Sparkman Park to cheer on their favorites teams. In between games, families had ample opportunities to shop for antiques and collectibles in the historic downtown area and dine at local restaurants.

A Florida resident was quoted at the pool party as saying: after the opening ceremony