Roxboro American Legion Post 138: Annual Hot Stove

Hot Stove Banquet will kick-off local Legion baseball
By TIM CHANDLER
C-T Sports Editor

A celebrity-filled event will kick-off the inaugural season for Roxboro’s American Legion Post 138 baseball team.

Prior to the squad beginning play this summer, the organizing committee for Roxboro American Legion Baseball has planned a Hot Stove Banquet fundraiser on Thursday, Feb. 7, at Roxboro Country Club.

Four celebrity guest speakers have already committed to the event and two more could wind up attending.

"We set out to try and get six folks in here," organizing committee member Winkie Wilkins said. "There were six that we really wanted. At this point, we have four and we still have a chance at the other two."

Heading the list of celebrities is Roxboro’s own Enos Slaughter, a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

"Enos was a key all along," Wilkins said. "He committed quite early and has done a lot to make this a success. It’s unbelievable how much he has done and how willing he has been to help."

Other baseball standouts that will appear at the event include Jim Bibby, Jack McKeon and Clyde King.

Bibby, who now resides in Lynchburg, Va., is a former pitcher for the Texas Rangers and once threw a no-hitter.

McKeon lives in Elon and is a former manager of the Cincinnati Reds, while King, a resident of Goldsboro, is the chief scout for the New York Yankees.

Other celebrities that may attend the event are former Yankee pitcher Tommy Byrne, who lives in Wake Forest, and Sumter, S.C. resident Bobby Richardson, a former infielder for the Yankees.

"Byrne’s wife is in the hospital now and has been for a couple of weeks," Wilkins said. "She has been very sick, but is progressing nicely now. Her progress is the key to whether or not he’ll be here.

"Richardson has a Thursday morning (Feb. 7) speaking engagement in Charlotte and a Friday morning (Feb. 8) speaking engagement in Spartanburg (S.C.)," Wilkins added. "He is trying to squeeze our event into his schedule. We’ve outlines ways in which we may be able to assist him in transportation."

The event is scheduled to get underway at 5:30 p.m. with a social hour, followed by dinner at 7 p.m. Tickets, which are priced at $150 per couple, are available at BB&T. The fee includes a steak or chicken dinner and one autographed baseball from Slaughter.

Wilkins and former Roxboro resident Ronnie Roberts, the current Director of Promotions for the Minor League Lynchburg Hillcats, will serve as the co-emcees for the banquet.

"The whole purpose of this is to promote American Legion Baseball and to try and get college scholarships to promote the kids in this community," American Legion board member Mitch Fleig said. "We believe that this will be a top-notch affair."

According to Fleig, persons attending the banquet will have an opportunity to obtain autographs and photographs with the celebrities during the social hour.

"We will also have a lot of things to auction off," Fleig said. "There will be a lot of memorabilia. People have been very nice and have donated a lot of things."

Among the items that will be auctioned off are an autographed picture of Slaughter, donated by the St. Louis Cardinals; American League Championship Series programs, donated by the Yankees; an autographed Carolina Hurricanes game jersey; and items donated by Duke University, the University of North Carolina and N.C. State University.

There will also be a chance to win a Baseball Hall of Fame bat autographed by Slaughter during a raffle.