BISMARCK, ND – The Bismarck Larks season is over, but Bismarck Municipal Ballpark, home of Dakota Community Bank and Trust Field isn’t ready to stop bringing people together.

On Friday August 18, the opening ceremonies of the 2017 Special Olympics North America Softball Championship will be held at the stadium. This free event to the public begins at 5:30pm and marks the first time that Special Olympics North Dakota plays host to an international event.

Not only will those in attendance get to see the country’s top Special Olympics athletes but also watch a performance from Tigerlily and watch post event fireworks from the stands. The Larks concessions stand will also be open serving an array of ballpark classics as well as beer/wine.

Play begins on August 18 with medal rounds concluding on Sunday, August 20. All games and medal ceremonies will be held at the Clem Kelley Softball Complex.

More than 400 athletes and Unified partners, comprising 28 teams from throughout the United States and Canada will come to Bismarck-Mandan to compete in the Softball Championship. Teams will compete in both Special Olympics traditional team and Unified Sports (people with and without intellectual disabilities playing as teammates) formats.

Additional information on the event can be found on the Special Olympics North Dakota website.

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The Bismarck Larks are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The 23-year-old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, 180 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including two-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champion Ben Zobrist (CHC) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM) and Lucas Duda (NYM).  All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.bismarcklarks.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Larks as your favorite team.

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