Shelby rolls out red carpet for Host City Welcome

Uptown Shelby was packed for the second year in a row for the Host City Welcome, the kickoff celebration of the American Legion World Series.

In the highlight of the evening, each of the eight teams were presented with medallions honoring their regional championship win and appearance at the American Legion World Series.

This event was added in 2017 to give locals a chance to meet the teams before games begin at Keeter Stadium in Shelby, N.C., on Aug. 16.

In addition to the medal ceremony, musical act Summer Brooke and the Mountain Faith Band opened the festivities and were followed by country music sensation Parmalee. Josh McSwain of Parmalee is a graduate of Shelby High School.

During the performances each team competed in a cornhole tournament, which was won by Dubuque County, Iowa, Post 137. The Central Plains champions earned a $1,000 prize for winning, courtesy of a generation donation from locals Betty and Charles Carrigan.

Iowa native Denise H. Rohan, national commander of The American Legion, was on hand and shared her thoughts on the event. “The entire of city of Shelby seems to be here and it is great to see so many purple shirts supporting the American Legion Family, and they are treating us like family," she said.

“The young men that I have talked to are so excited to be here. American Legion Baseball is so much more than a game. It’s an opportunity to learn discipline, spend time with Legionnaires and to learn about Americanism. They are all great young men and I am excited to see them on the field.”

The 2018 American Legion World Series starts today on ESPN3 and coverage continues on ESPN3 and ESPNU through Tuesday, Aug. 21.

For more information on coverage of the 2018 American Legion World Series, click here.