WHITEFISH — It’s been 25 years since the first Ed Gallo Tournament in Whitefish, and what better way to commemorate the late savor of American Legion baseball in Whitefish than making this year’s event a wood-bat tournament.

From coaching and funding the team to maintaining the playing field, Ed Gallo single-handily kept the Whitefish American Legion Baseball program alive throughout the 1960s. It was even his idea in 1965 to invite athletes from Columbia Falls to participate in the program and thus the Glacier Twins were born.

Gallo drove the team bus, stayed late at Memorial Park to maintain the field and began numerous fundraising campaigns, including the Christmas Garland Hanging Project for businesses in downtown Whitefish—a tradition still alive today.

It was because of his passion for the program that a tournament in his honor began in 1990, and today a talented group of teams will begin the tournament play today at Memorial Park Stadium and Smith Fields in Whitefish.

The Glacier Twins, Calgary Redbirds, Missoula Prospects, Williston (N.D.) Keybirds, Bitterroot Red Sox, Kalispell Lakers A and the Glacier League 15U All-Stars will use wood bats in honor of Gallo’s tireless effort to promote the sport in the Flathead Valley.

Tournament play begins at 9 a.m. today as the Glacier Twins B take on the Missoula Prospects at Memorial Park Stadium.

 Highlights of this year’s tournament include a silent auction during Friday’s games, an All-Star game featuring the tournament’s top players and the announcement of the Ed Gallo Memorial Scholarship—awarded to a graduating Glacier Twins member.

The tournament concludes Sunday with the championship game scheduled for 5 p.m.