Vernon, Florida Celebrates ‘The Boys (and Girls) of Summer’, Opening Day Ceremonies For Dixie Youth Baseball, T-Ball and Softball on April 7, 2018

By | April 5, 2018

‘We are proud of the changes and improvements we have made in our recreation program’, said Vernon, Florida Mayor Tina Sloan last week as she announced the Grand Opening for the Vernon Recreation Department Dixie Youth Baseball, T-Ball and Softball programs.

‘Vernon’s SportsPlex at 3232 Moss Hill Road in Vernon, Florida will be the site for the Opening Ceremonies on Saturday, April 7, 2018, as the community comes together to support this celebration of youth and sportsmanship’, said Sloan at Monday’s City Council workshop.

The day is expected to draw a large crowd of players and parents, celebrities and dignitaries, as the ‘Boys (and Girls) of Summer’ provide a backdrop representative of our national pastime.

‘There has been a lot of hard work put into this endeavor’, said Washington County Commissioner Tray Hawkins on Wednesday of this week, as he and County crews finished putting the finishing touches on cleanup work at the SportsPlex facility.

‘Thanks to our Washington County Sheriff Kevin Crews we were able to secure the help of inmate labor, allowing us to do a lot of work that ordinarily would have required a large amount of volunteer labor’, explained Hawkins, ‘and we are proud of the way this is coming together’.

Revitalized by Recreation Director Brent Gibson, the Vernon sports programs have suffered in the past, as in any small municipalities, from lack of interest and loss of numbers of participants.

‘With the blessing and help of our Vernon City Council we have been able to put the Vernon Recreation Program back together, making citizens aware that all children are welcome to participate, and we believe that we will have a greatly improved program this year’, says Gibson.

‘Sometimes people let their feelings get in the way of kids having a good time’, says Brent Gibson, recently hired Recreation Director for Vernon, ‘but this year we made a massive effort to start fresh and we are happy with the results so far’.

In a recent interview with ‘Real Florida Magazine’ Gibson explained the sequence of events which led to a diminished interest in city sports, and how the city council set their sights on revitalizing the programs.

Opening Ceremonies are slated for 8:30AM on Saturday, April 7, 2018, at the Vernon SportsPlex located at 3232 Moss Hill Road in Vernon, and Vernon officials invite all residents of the area to attend, with hopes that elected officials in the County and local municipalities will be able to participate.

‘This program is very important to our City, our County and to all who value our youth’, said Hawkins.  ‘On these fields we learn a lot of life lessons, and we are proud of the new program Vernon has been able to put together’.

For more information contact Brent Gibson, Vernon, Florida Recreation Director, at 850-258-9492 or visit www.VernonFlorida.net.