This week, Andalusia is welcoming teams and their coaches and fans from all parts of the United States to the Babe Ruth 16-18 World Series.

This is a great opportunity to showcase our community, and to give our guests from Onodago, N.Y., Dexter, Mo., Fond Du Lac, Wis., Cape Cod, Mass., Mid County, Texas, Tolumbia Basin, Wash., as well as native Alabamians from Mobile and the Gulf Coast a great big sample of Southern hospitality.

We join the community in welcoming them, and remind readers to roll out the welcome mat and make these parents, grandparents, and friends feel at home.

They’ll be shopping with us, needing to do laundry, looking for entertainment, and generally living here the next week or so. And tropical weather threatens to make their weekend a soggy one.

We salute all of the volunteers who’ve put this tournament in place, and the countless families who have opened their homes to teens for this week.

Pool play begins at 9 a.m. Thursday, and opening ceremonies are set for 6 p.m. Gov. Robert Bentley will be here to throw out the first pitch.

Please join us around town and at the ball park in making our visitors welcome.