There aren’t enough words to express all of the deserved kudos to those who were responsible for the Babe Ruth 12U World Series in Covington County in the past week.

As usual Andalusians stepped up to the proverbial plate and literally hit this one out of the park. Outside of last night’s rain delays, the event appeared to have come off as near perfectly as possible.

Much of the credit goes to Dwight Mikel, who has built relationships on a state and national level, and earned a reputation for putting on first-class events. There are a host of people who work with him in the Department of Leisure Services, taking care of all of the details and making him look like a superstar.

They get a lot of support from the city administration, including the mayor and the council. Our mayor, Earl Johnson, expects the very best efforts from our city’s employees, and the council members support that expectation. It’s just one of the reasons this went so well.

Andalusia had support from the City of Opp and from the Covington County Commission for this event. They, too, recognize the economic boost that results from bringing people to our community for special events, and their support was crucial.

Much more credit goes to the people who live here, are proud to call the area home, and who want to make guests feel welcome. If you put out a welcome sign, greeted a visitor, or volunteered in the park, you helped spread the gospel of Southern hospitality, insuring that our guests had a memorable experience and securing future events like this one for our city if we choose to pursue them.

To each and every one, “Thanks, y’all!”