JAMESTOWN, N.D. - The North Dakota Class B state high school baseball tournament will not be in Jamestown on June 3, 4 and 5 as was planned. The tournament was moved to Minot because local hotels already have too many rooms set aside for other events in the area, officials said.
"Fargo and Minot were gracious enough to put together offers and invoices for the tournament and today (Tuesday) the board voted to place the tournament in Minot," said Dave Carlsrud, assistant to the executive secretary for the North Dakota High School Activities Association.
State tournaments are set for North Dakota cities four or five years in advance, he said.
This is the first time in Carlsrud's 21 years with the North Dakota High School Activities Association that a tournament was moved because of a lack of lodging.
"I don't ever recall us moving because all of the sudden there weren't enough rooms," he said.
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The estimated economic impact of losing the tournament this year is $60,000, according to Nina Sneider, executive director of Buffalo City Tourism Foundation.
Jamestown has hosted the Class B baseball tournament for decades, and in the past few years has switched off with Mandan on hosting the Class A tournament.
The Class A state baseball tournament is scheduled to be in Jamestown next year, pending space.
This year the state girls soccer tournament will be in Jamestown the same dates as well as the El Zagal Shriners and a square dancers' convention at the Civic Center.
Ben Rodgers is a reporter at The Jamestown (N.D.) Sun, which is owned by Forum Communications Co.
