"My dad, as he would say, would be tickled pink about how this has taken off," Chris Smith said.
Smith and a group of his childhood friends organized the Louie Smith Memorial Home Run Derby in memory of his father, baseball coach and lifelong advocate of youth sports, Louie Smith.
The derby will begin at 6 p.m. Friday at the Poplar Bluff High School baseball field. Featuring 21 batters, the family-friendly event is open to the public. Food, face painting and a selfie station will be available, all for $1 each. There will be a silent auction for art by Alex Nicolini and kids will have an opportunity to run the bases.
The goal of the event is to raise money for the Louie Smith Memorial Fund to benefit local youth sports.
Smith said he was inspired by the late Sam Giambelluca, who was a pillar of Poplar Bluff's athletic community.
"Back in 2015, I read an article by Brian Rosener about the passing of Sam Giambelluca," Smith said. "I always remember seeing Sam at every sporting event as a kid, as a high school athlete, and as a PBHS football and baseball coach. I knew Sam was a huge part of local athletics, but never really knew how much Sam did until I read that article."
Smith said after reading the article in the Daily American Republic, he remembers thinking that there will never be another Giambelluca in Poplar Bluff.
"When I created the committee to help me get this Home Run Derby started, we immediately experienced a tremendous amount of support from the community," Smith said. "That's when we realized that this fund could be something much bigger than just one event, but something that we could grow into multiple events that covers all youth athletics as the years go by."
Smith said his personal goal for the committee is to try and fill the shoes of Giambelluca, while honoring his father.
"We will never be able to do what he did, but we are going to try," Smith said. "We truly think we can leave an impact that our kids and our kids' kids can benefit from. Our goal is to be a committee of buddies trying to fill the very large shoes that Sam left behind and have the same impact he did while honoring the passion and dedication that my dad had for youth sports."
The lineup includes Andy Cisne, Charles Kendle, Jeremy Downing, Rob Burke, Jason Duckett, Zack Robinson, Jake Nickelson, Matthew Lambert, Scottie Lindsay, Jeremy Patton, Logan Misner, Robby Moore, Seth Blackwell, Jordan Walker, Matthew Cisne, Todd Tinsley, Josh Cullison, Ryan Adams, Justin Daubert, Kelly Mayse and Kurt Humphrey.
Chris Rushin, former announcer of the Billings Mustangs, will serve as the Master of Ceremonies and Dave Williams of Atom Entertainment will provide music. PBHS Mules baseball coach Steve Edwards will pitch. Margaret Orlando of Three Rivers College will sing the National Anthem.
"If we can accomplish half of what Louie Smith or Sam Giambelluca did for youth sports in this area," Smith added, "then I think the goal of this fund will not only be met, but will flourish for years to come."