WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — For the next two weeks, the international spotlight will shine on Lycoming County for the Little League World Series, and it all kicks off with the Grand Slam Parade.
Teams from around the globe will have their own floats in the parade. The Grand Slam Parade is a way to welcome the world to Williamsport.
"The parade starts off on Susquehanna Street, and it proceeds into downtown Williamsport starting at 5:30, and there's plenty of places to take in the parade," said Jason Fink, head of the Williamsport Lycoming Chamber of Commerce. "Teams and families are here. The international flavor it brings is great. It is exciting to listen to all the different languages being spoken throughout the parade route."
People started to line up chairs along the parade route on Fourth Street two days ago.
Kora Eichelberger and Madison Barker grabbed their spots early in the morning. They are ready for the festivities to begin.
"That is pretty cool. The kids, baseball players, from different states, probably takes them a long time to get here," Kora Eichelberger said. "We have been out here for a couple hours. We set up when we got here, and it is just nice to be out here."
"Definitely want to watch my friend perform in the parade, and I want to see the female pitcher from Tennessee." Madison Barker said.
Once again, a Major League Baseball great will be part of the festivities.
"We have Ryne Sandberg coming in; very excited to have him join us," Fink said. "2005 Hall of Famer, long-time Chicago Cub, and actually started off his career very briefly with the Philadelphia Phillies."
You can watch this year's Grand Slam Parade live on WNEP and WNEP+ on Roku, FireTV, Apple TV, and more on Monday, August 14 at 6 p.m.
Watch the community of Williamsport welcome the 20 teams from across the United States and around the globe that will compete in the 2023 Little League Baseball World Series.
Find more great Little League Baseball information at the official Little League World Series site or on the Little League World Series Facebook and Twitter feeds.
Drivers traveling to the LLWS in Williamsport are encouraged to plan their trip using the real-time travel and alternate-route information available online at www.511PA.com/LLWS.