More than 1,200 athletes and spectators will be in Cookeville Memorial Day Weekend for the Jim Beam Pro-Circuit Softball and Baseball tournament.
Visitor’s Bureau Tourism Director Shan Stout said that is a result of a Kid Rock concert pushing the tournament out of a Hendersonville park. She said a tournament of this size is typically something the city cannot facilitate.
“So we reached out to our Tech partners and we’re using their intermural fields, we’re working with Mark Wilson to use some of the varsity fields,” Stout said. “Of course, we’re using our SportsPlex and Leisure Services fields. I mean there are going to be so many athletes in town Memorial Day Weekend.”
Stout said the way this has come together so quickly is a testament to the relationship between the city, the county, and the university. She said if the county was less hospitable or if the city had not been the host of the Jim Beam Traditional tournament, we would have missed this opportunity.
“If you do the math, our hotels are going to be at 100 percent capacity, our AirBnbs, we’re sending that information out to everyone,” Stout said. “These athletes are going to find anywhere they can to stay, even our campsites. So there’s not going to be a place to stay in Putnam County.”
Stout said not only is the tournament bring in athletes, but also sales tax dollars. She said the visitors will be given QR codes to see all of the local places to eat, see and do to get them out into the community.
“This is going to be great for tourism across the board, and it gives an added tax relief to Putnam County residents,” Stout said. “The more we bring in for sales tax, lodging tax, the lower your taxes go. So that’s just a win-win for everyone.”
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