Beating Ladysmith during a very close and exciting final game, Sunday, the Lake Cowichan Firefighters reigned triumphant during last weekend’s firefighter’s Slo-Pitch for Muscular Dystrophy baseball tournament.

Although baseball was the main area of attraction over the weekend, it was the weekend’s cause that was the most noteworthy, with early estimates revealing over $42,000 raised in the battle against Muscular dystrophy.

It’s a long walk that happens every year.

It begins in Cobble Hill and ends with thousands more dollars to continue the fight against muscular dystrophy.

Tomorrow, volunteer firefighters from nine south Vancouver Island fire departments will don full gear, including breathing apparatus, and depart the Valleyview Centre at about 7 a.m. bound for Mesachie Lake.

After a walk of 20 kilometres, they will converge at the Mesachie Lake Skydome for the 31st-annual Mesachie Lake Softball Tournament and Auction for Muscular Dystrophy Canada, which gets underway June 18.

A long-standing tradition in the Cowichan Lake area, this weekend’s Slo-Pitch for Muscular Dystrophy firefighter baseball tournament will have over 200 people head into Mesachie Lake this weekend in order to see exciting baseball action throughout the weekend.

But, before the sports and other means of entertainment in Mesachie Lake begin, the firefighting participants are planning a couple of walks, beginning Thursday at 6:30 a.m. in Cobble Hill.

Fundraising efforts reached new heights this year among local fire departments.

More than $60,000 was raised for Muscular Dystrophy Canada through the annual ball tournament and auction held on the weekend of June 20-21.

Mesachie Lake fire Chief Nick Sohye expressed deep gratitude for the show of support from donors.

“Again it’s just unbelievable. It’s just really hard to put it into words,” said Sohye, whose son Adam has muscular dystrophy.

In its 30th year, the Mesachie Lake MD Ball Tournament and Auction got a big boost from one person in particular.

Supporters from near and far have once again made the Mesachie Lake MD Ball Tournament and Auction a huge success.

More than $60,000 was raised this year, smashing last year’s record.

Those generously donated funds will surely go a long way toward supporting Muscular Dystrophy Canada. But perhaps just as important is the message sent by such a show of support.

From the firefighters walk to the ball tournament to the much-anticipated fun of the auction, it is wonderful see such a high level of community involvement in an event that now has a 30-year history.

It’s Father’s Day this weekend, so that means Mesachie Lake will be hosting the annual muscular dystrophy ball tournament and auction, clearly one of the most impressive events held in our area.

Since the early 1980s, when it became an Muscular Dystrophy Canada fundraiser, the event has raked in more than half a million dollars. That’s pretty amazing for a small community, although it’s the efforts of fire departments across the Cowichan Valley that make it happen.

After 30 years and more than half a million dollars raised for Muscular Dystrophy Canada, there is always something amazing about the annual Mesachie Lake MD Ball Tournament and Auction, which runs Thursday through Sunday at the Sky Dome.

Whether it’s a $6,000 bid for two muscular dystrophy decals or Cathy King chanting “Olay, olay, olay, Cow Bay,” the event is a tradition second to none anywhere at Cowichan Lake.

Think Pink: It’s not hard to spot Kalliana King in a crowd. She’s the youngster with the bright pink hair. No, it’s not a fashion statement. “Kalli came home from school over a month ago with a mission,” writes proud mom Cathy King “She's eight-years-old and her friend had shaved his head for cancer last year. She asked me ‘Mom, can I shave my head for any cause’. Of course I said yes and didn't think anymore of it. “About a week later she announced she was going to shave her head for muscular dystrophy to help raise money for all those kids in wheelchairs.”

MESACHIE LAKE, BC – Join the Mesachie Group fire fighters on June 18-21 as they host their 30th Annual Ball Tournament and Auction in support of Muscular Dystrophy Canada.

Expand the Sky Dome ball field to accommodate adult use, was the consensus at a meeting in Mesachie Lake Thursday night.

This would help alleviate insurance concerns.

Expansion of the field by about 53 feet has been made possible with the purchase by the CVRD of the store next door to the ball field, for $249,000.

The Municipal Insurance Authority (MIA), from which municipalities and regional districts buy their insurance, has told the CVRD that if someone is hurt by a fly ball or foul ball during an adult event at the field, it won’t be covered by MIA.