And with the tournament comes great economic value for the city. That value is typically about $1 million, according to Kerrie Kuiper, executive director of the Fort Dodge Convention and Visitors Bureau.

“It’s usually about a million dollars from the spending from the people who come for the tournament,” Kuiper said.

And while the tournament is being played under conditions as close to normal as possible, there are some changes to the tournament itself that could impact how people seat themselves and the overall attendance numbers.

One change is the number of fields being used.

-Messenger photo by Chad Thompson
Bethany Klooster, an employee at The Station, prepares some appetizers Friday at the store, 2320 N. 15th St. The Station typically keeps extra food on hand for the week of the state softball tournament.

Four fields will be used during the course of the tournament rather than the two fields typically used in the past, according to Jason Eslinger, assistant director for the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union.

“We are using the four fields to stagger times out rather than using two during the course of the tournament,” Eslinger said.

Social distancing measures have also been put in place and there will be more time in between games.

“We have put some limitations on bleachers,” Eslinger said. “We won’t have as many in the press box as in years past.”

The Fort Dodge Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department plans to open more concessions stands in an effort to spread people out.

-Messenger photo by Chad Thompson
Employees at The Station, 2320 N. 15th St., will make double or triple the amount of food during the state softball tournament, according to Michelle Temple, assistant manager at the Fort Dodge convenience store.

Eslinger said masks are strongly recommended for spectators.

“Our staff will be wearing them during the week, all week long,” Eslinger said. “We are strongly encouraging everyone to mask up.”

Also new this year is the consolation bracket or lack thereof.

“Teams that lose in the first round will not play another game,” Eslinger said. “So this year anyone that loses the first round is done.”

Kuiper said losing more teams earlier in the tournament will impact hotel and motel business.

“Those teams that would have played in consolation will not be staying likely through the entire week,” Kuiper said. “By the end of Tuesday night, we expect 20 of the teams to be leaving the tournament and that could make a difference for our hotels.”

But Kuiper still anticipates a strong turnout, all things considered.

“The crowds could be lighter, but then again we have a lot of local teams in the tournament and when we have local teams the numbers are typically higher,” Kuiper said.

Local teams in the softball tournament this year include: Algona, Humboldt, Fort Dodge and Newell-Fonda.

“We are really excited to host it,” Kuiper said. “It’s our 50th year. We are proud to host for 50 years and as always we love this event.”

In 2019, the tournament drew over 18,000 people to Fort Dodge.

“Attendance can reach 20,000 but depends on teams and travel,” Kuiper said.

Regardless of the circumstances, restaurants, hotels and convenience stores are prepared for the influx of visitors to the area.

Jim Bird, owner of Mineral City Mill & Grill, Olde Boston’s Restaurant and Pub, Pancheros and Sports Page, said the state softball tournament is one of the biggest weeks of the year for the restaurants.

“If it’s not the biggest week of the year, it’s one of them,” Bird said. “And it definitely is for Sports Page. It keeps us really busy.”

Sports Page is less than two miles from the ballpark.

Bird said during state softball, staff at all of the restaurants are not allowed to take time off.

“We get everybody looking forward to working longer hours and of course, stocking up and buying more product,” Bird said.

Even though the tournament is on, Bird said COVID-19 will still have its impact on business.

“I’ve heard they are filling up the hotels so I think we will have a pretty good week,” Bird said. “The only negative is we can do full occupancy in the restaurants but we still have to social distance, which keeps us at 60 percent occupancy. So we won’t be able to seat as many people as in prior years because of the COVID.”

Brittany McBride, guest service manager at Best Western Starlite Village Inn & Suites, said room reservations have been more last-minute this year.

“Even though it is last-minute, we are still being able to sell the rooms like we hoped,” McBride said. “We do set aside rooms in advance and block out people online because we want to give teams and players a chance to stay with us.”

In 2019, teams stayed on the campus of Iowa Central Community College during the tournament. This year, that’s not happening, which could result in more bookings for hotels.

McBride said the tournament is great for the city.

“We get a lot of positive feedback from it,” she said. “The benefit is it does bring a lot of business to our area especially on Central (Avenue). The families that are visiting are able to take advantage of our smaller town amenities, some of the local shops and things like that.”

Convenience stores like The Station typically see an uptick in sales. The Station is less than two miles from the sports complex.

“We make more hot food,” said Michelle Temple, assistant manager. “We make double or triple the amount because you have to have enough there for everyone.”

Extra bread, meat, vegetables and condiments is also kept on hand for the subs the Station sells.

There is one particular item Temple said the store just can’t have enough of during tournament time.

Ice.

“Last year we ran out of ice quite frequently,” she said. “It’s hard to keep some of that stuff. Your machine only makes it so fast.”

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