One of summer’s most enjoyable events gets underway today. The Girls State Softball Tournament will be the highlight of the season for the teams that made it to state-level competition, including the Fort Dodge Dodgers and St. Edmond Gaels. All the teams are outstanding. Making it to this final event of the season means that none will have any reason for more than a brief lament, no matter what their final standing. Making it to state is itself an accomplishment that marks a season as one to remember with pride.

This event has become a major feature of the summer sports season in our town. Fort Dodge has been the host city for this competition for more than 50 years.

The marvelous Harlan and Hazel Rogers Sports Complex has been the selected venue for the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union softball finals for so long that it is hard to imagine any other location for this event.

We’re pleased the IGHSAU leadership agrees that the superb facilities at Rogers and the other amenities Fort Dodge has to offer can’t easily be topped.

It is also very good news for the economy of Fort Dodge and the surrounding towns.

The Fort Dodge Convention and Visitors Bureau shared with The Messenger data regarding this tournament’s financial impact on the local economy. The numbers are impressive.

Over the course of the tournament, thousands of people will visit Fort Dodge.

This will have about $1 million in direct financial impact — the money spent by these visitors.

This will add millions in indirect stimulation to the local economy. The money visitors will spend here will help pay salaries and generate profits for businesses.

Much of the money that goes out into payrolls and is earned by businesses as profit is plowed back into the local economy.

It’s not hard to see evidence of the direct spending.

Hotel rooms will be filled this week not only in Fort Dodge, but also in nearby towns.

Anyone who visits a restaurant this week will learn firsthand that local eateries benefit greatly from this event.

The money spent in stores, gas stations, convenience stores and the assorted other places where visitors shop helps strengthen these local businesses.

When local businesses do well, so do we all.

The investment this community made in the Rogers Sports Complex is an excellent example of creative planning.

When communities invest in carefully crafted infrastructure projects, they set the stage for future economic growth.

This will be a great week for fans of girls softball.

It will also be a wonderful demonstration that Fort Dodge is not only open for business, but also knows how to compete in that world like a champion.

The Messenger welcomes the competitors and their supporters to Fort Dodge. Fort Dodgers are excited to have the teams and their fans as a part of our community for a few days. Win or lose, this will be a week filled with outstanding softball that will generate both great fun and treasured memories.