Some of the top officers for the American Legion in Illinois were on hand Saturday as play began in Danville for the American Legion State Golf Tournament. And other leaders were also at the Harrison Park Golf Course as play began. Bill Pickett has more on the tournament…
Audio Player(Jeanie Cooke of the Danville Area Visitors Bureau, Senator Paul Faraci, and Greg Alpers – the man on the right who decided a decade ago to try to bring the tournament to Danville.)
This is the tenth year that Danville has hosted the tournament, and State Senator Paul Faraci was among those attending the opening ceremony…
Audio Player{AUDIO: “Oh, this is great. The only thing I wish is that Scott Bennett was here with us to see all the hard work he had involved in this. It’s just grown over the years and I’m just really appreciative. It’s right here in our back yard. People come from all over the country to be a part of this – as they should. It’s very well organized, very well done. And this course is absolutely stunning.”}
State Representative Brandun Schweizer hit the ceremonial first ball for the tournament. He told the crowd that American Legion posts play a vital role for veterans….
{AUDIO: “To have places like the Legions to be able to go to – to be able to share their experiences with like-minded folks, it’s just another avenue to help our veterans. Anything we can do to assist the veterans in their time of need, and their time of grief, as well as being able to get what has been weighing them down for their whole life sometimes, off their chest, is extremely important.”}
(Danville AMBUCS presented an Amtryke to a local veteran during Saturday’s opening ceremony.)
Mayor Rickey Williams, Jr. thanked those who have worked to keep the tournament in Danville….
Audio Player{AUDIO: “It makes me incredibly proud of the work that Jeanie and the Visitors Bureau do, and Mr. Alpers and all the folks who brought this here. I mean – this just started out with something that had died. They brought it back and now we’re the permanent home. It brings hundreds of people to Danville every year showcasing some of our finest venues. And so I’m just thankful and excited that people get to see how great Danville is.”}
Saturday’s opening ceremony even included a fly-over by four planes.
In addition to playing at the Harrison Park Golf Course the teams have also been playing at the Turtle Run Golf Course in Danville.