FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — This weekend kicks off the third Annual Perroni Field Invitational. Games started Saturday, Aug. 18, morning and will last until Sunday, with a championship game in the afternoon.
In 2014, Sam Perroni built a baseball field on his land in Fayetteville for his grandsons who were in Little League.
“I looked at this field one day and I told my wife, I said, You know what? I could build a baseball field," said Perroni.
Perroni dreamed of hosting a field of dreams-inspired tournament and started the Perroni Field Invitational three years ago.
Money raised through donations, concessions, and t-shirt sales goes to the Alzheimer's Association in honor of Perroni's wife.
“I want to try to raise money in connection with this because you got all the people here and excitement and you can raise money in anything you do," said Perroni. "And then a friend of mine suggested why don't we raise money for Alzheimer's research since my wife is an Alzheimer's patient,” said Perroni.
The tournament hosts five 10-year-old baseball teams from all around Northwest Arkansas. It's grown from when it was first started three years ago.
“The more and more people know about what we're trying to do and what they can do to help, help the cause of fighting disease,” said Kurt Wing, tournament director. “A lot of families have been in some way touched and affected by it. There might be some people, even your friends or neighbors that you don't even know that have had to deal with the same thing you have.”
The money raised will mainly go to research for a cure for Alzheimer's, and the organization is making progress.
“What we're learning from the research community is the research is actually working this year, we actually have our first viable treatment for people in the early stages of mild cognitive impairment,” said David Cook, director of Government Affairs for the Alzheimer’s Association. “Here in Arkansas, we know there are over 60,000 Arkansans over the age of 65 currently living with Alzheimer's."
The tournament wraps up Sunday with trophies for the winning team and a check presentation to the Alzheimer's Association. Last year, Perroni raised over $6,000 and this year he hopes to double the amount.
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