Softball. Live entertainment. Food trucks. Craft beer.
An upcoming event at Softball City combines all of these things – and more – in a weekend packed with family-friendly fun. Entitled Brewball, the fundraising festival brings together the best of many worlds at the South Surrey park July 19-21.
Proceeds raised from the event will benefit both the Surrey Fire Fighters Charitable Society and Super Kids, a community program for under-represented youth created by the Canadian Amateur Sports Society, which runs Softball City.
"It's just a fun weekend that's really family-friendly, while raising money," said Surrey Fire Fighters Charitable Society vice-president Dylan Van Rooyen.
Funds raised through the event will benefit the society's youth mental health programs, he noted.
"It's a good cause and it should be a lot of fun! Hopefully we get lucky with a nice, warm weekend."
Brewball is free to attend for watching softball games, enjoying live entertainment, and exploring food trucks; the only part of the event that requires tickets is the craft beverage tasting (no outside food and beverage is allowed in the park).
Canadian Amateur Sports Society president Greg Timm said the event is another way to connect with the local community.
"We're trying to do some things that are impactful for the community in a positive way. ... We're going to combine (food trucks and craft beer tastings) with a recreational slo-pitch tournament, and we're going to have some entertainment. ... It's going to hopefully feel like a fun community type of event."
As an added bonus, proceeds raised will also benefit the sports society's Super Kids program, an initiative aimed at providing all kids with the opportunity to play softball and experience the power of community support.
"Children from Indigenous and under-represented communities – kids that don't get a chance to play (softball or other sports) – we allow them into everything we do for free," Timm said, explaining the aim of the program is to ensure that every child who wants to, can fully enjoy the experience of summer camp without any limitation, to help create a brighter and more inclusive future for all children in the sport of fastpitch.
"We are going to have them into Canada Cup international clinics for free – we run camps during the summertime, daytime, where those kids can come in and get their lunches and their instruction and their T-shirts and have a blast at no charge to them."
More than 100 children participated in the Super Kids program last year, and Timm said they plan to expand it even more, to eventually, be year-round and include a Christmas program as well. Any surplus raised at this summer's Canada Cup will support Super Kids as well, he added.
"Last year was sort of our trial year – this year we go bigger – we'll take surpluses from things we do and apply it that way," Timm said.
Anyone who wants to put together a softball team (must be 18 years or older) can register online (brewball.ca).
"It'll be a good, clean-cut community event that hopefully, people in Surrey and White Rock want to attend. We encourage teams to register!"
Although this is the inaugural event, it will become an annual fundraiser for Softball City, Timm shared.
Softball City is located at 2201 148 St., Surrey.
Visit brewball.ca for more information.
