NOTE: This is the first in a four-part series on the 2003 Central Plains American Legion Baseball Tournament that will be held at Johnson Park in New Ulm August 14-18. This first story focuses on the economic impact to New Ulm.

BY JIM BASTIAN

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- The 2003 Central Plains American Legion Baseball Tournament will bring to New Ulm the state champions from Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Kansas and Nebraska along with host New Ulm Legion Gold.

It will also bring with it parents, families and fans of the seven teams entered to the City of Charm and Tradition for the four-day tournament that will benefit more than just baseball fans in the area.

That means New Ulm's economy will receive a big boost. According to National Legion Director Gary George, "the Central Plains Tournament will result in an economic impact of over $1 million to New Ulm."

Last year, the Central Plains Tournament was held in Williston, North Dakota and according to Larry Grundahl, the Economic Director of Williston, it gave that city a shot in the arm.

"We received an impact over just over $500,000 directly to our city," he said in a telephone interview Tuesday afternoon. "Our hotels and motels were full and our restaurants were busy each day."

Grundahl said that Williston -- the site of the Region 6 or Central Plains Tournament -- led all eight regions of the country in attendance.

"We drew an average of 1,200 fans per game," Grundahl said. "We had a high for one game of 1,800 and our low was between 500-600," he said.

And Williston, like New Ulm, is no stranger to regional tournaments.

"We have hosted five regionals before as well as four Babe Ruth Regional tournaments." Grundahl said. "This year, we are hosting the Babe Ruth World Series for 14 and 15 year olds. We and our economy would glady welcome hosting a regional again. It brings in some big money into the city. The Central Plains Tournament is an outstanding tournament."

Grundahl said that last year Gordy Palmer, one of the co-chairmen (along with Red Wyczawski), was in attendance at Williston along with his wife Ruth to get some information and ideas on the Central Plains Tournament. "I have been in contact with both of them. New Ulm will do a great job. They have great people in line to help as they always do."

And Jenny Eckstein of the New Ulm Chamber of Commerce said that the tournament will have an impact on every business in New Ulm. "People coming to New Ulm will go shopping," she said. "They might have forgotten to pack something so they will shop for that. Just about every business in New Ulm will be affected.''

And New Ulm's tourism will also get another boost.

"There will be people here from Kansas or some state that may not have ever been in New Ulm before," she said. "They usually have times between games to travel around the city. We will have visitor packets available so people can pick them up and when they have free time they can check out New Ulm' s sites like the Glockenspiel, Schells, the new Civic Center -- there are a lot of sites to see in New Ulm."

Eckstein said the boost to New Ulm's economy comes at a quiet time. "There is not a lot going on in August. They say that when out of town people come in, the dollar that they spend here turns over seven times when it gets into the community. It gets paid to the business and the business -- that business can update his menu or something. The money just keeps turning over like a domino effect."

"You do not need to be a baseball fan to appreciate this," Eckstein said. "The people of New Ulm have to realize that there are a lot of people coming here. We always get compliments on how nice our town looks, how clean it is. A lot of people put a lot of pride in their property whether it is residential or business. It makes a big impact on tourism here. We get a lot of compliments. This tournament is really good for New Ulm."

NEXT WEEK: THE 1978 NEW ULM LEGION TEAM MAKES HISTORY WITH NEW ULM'S FIRST REGIONAL TITLE AND WORLD SERIES TRIP.

You can check out the 2003 Central Plains on www.central plains2003.org.