(From WEEK News 25) - This year is the 47th edition of the Pekin Insurance Holiday Tournament but the stars of this story aren't the 10 people on the court; they're the 20 to 30 people sitting off to the sides.
"Take care of the benches, the balls, the assignment of locker rooms, so we've kind of got a person for every face of the tournament," says Pekin's Athletic Director Rick Kestner.
Kestner also directs the tournament.
He says it takes an entire committee and the unpaid passion of volunteers to keep things running smoothly for the 16-team field.
In other words, this isn't just three days of kids playing ball.
Kestner says, "It's a whole lot more than that. I've probably been setting up for about five or six days for this tournament."
"We meet for months prior to the tournament, making sure that all the teams are signed, the contracts are signed, the sponsorships are there," says Pekin native Pat Flannigan.
Flannigan has been volunteering for about eight years, and this is his first year on the committee.
Flannigan says without the help of sponsorships and community, the tournament wouldn't exist.
But there's a flipside to that coin.
Without the tournament, Tazewell and neighboring Counties wouldn't see as much revenue from those who travel to the area.
"Like yesterday, we went out to watch a movie, we went to the Rave, then went out to eat, came back and went to the boat for a little while," Darrell Prince admits with a smile.
Prince has been volunteering with Thornridge High School in Dolton for 39 years.
He's come to the Pekin Tournament for the last 10, and he says he'll be back every year, as long as his eyesight stays with him.
"We've got a great committee of people who have been here a lot longer than I have who make this tournament run," says Kestner. "You know, it's not a one-man operation by any stretch of the imagination."
