SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — After sitting empty for two consecutive summers, the baseball stands at both Lamade Stadium and Volunteer Stadium in South Williamsport will be filled once again.
The first game is set for 1 p.m. Wednesday, August 17, at Volunteer Stadium with Team Latin America vs. Team Caribbean.
That game kicks off the 75th anniversary of the Little League World Series. The first one was held across the river in Williamsport in 1947.
At the time, Little League itself only existed in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. So, every team in the World Series that first year, save one, was from here in the Keystone State.
Fast forward to today, there are twenty teams representing countries from all over the world, and tens of thousands of visitors here to watch them play.
Not to mention the $40 million the Chamber of Commerce estimates the tournament brings in each year to the local economy.
Newswatch 16 talked to Kurt Kane, the owner of Long Island Pizza in Williamsport, on Tuesday about all the excitement leading up to opening day.
He's known to give a friendly greeting to everyone who walks into his pizza shop.
This week, he's telling anyone who will listen, "Did you know that there's a team from Long Island for the first time in 45 years? Yes, sir!"
As the owner of Long Island Pizza, he might be a little biased.
He said, "I'm not playing favorites because I love everybody. But..."
But there's one thing likely every business owner in town would agree with him on; it's good to have the fans back.
Kane added, "This is so exciting, man. You can feel it in the air, the excitement."
Kane proudly showed us the second banner he has to welcome the thousands of visitors here. The first one is already displayed outside his shop.
Those banners collected dust for the last two years. Kane admits he even forgot how he usually hangs them!
But once he started getting back into the swing of things, preparing for the big event came as naturally as rooting for his hometown team. He said, "Oh, we got extra staff coming in; we just have a lot of people around, which is great because that gives us our adrenaline. So we're really excited, getting extra people, extra shifts, do what we gotta do to welcome the world."
Just a heads up if you're planning to travel to South Williamsport for a game. PennDOT is encouraging drivers traveling to the Little League World Series to use 511pa.com to keep an eye on traffic.
Officials created a special page to monitor conditions on the primary routes to the Little League complex.
It includes travel times and alerts in and around South Williamsport.
Again, the first pitch is Wednesday, August 17, at 1 p.m. at Volunteer Stadium. It's Team Latin America vs. Team Caribbean.
We'll have coverage of the tournament all the way through the championship game here on WNEP.
