This weekend, the First Ward Falcon Club’s annual tournament returns. The 51st edition of the event begins with an Old Timers and Girls Game on Friday at 4 p.m., at Promenschenkel Stadium. The tournament officially begins shortly afterward, with two games later that night at 6:30 p.m., then at 8:15 p.m., at Promenschenkel Stadium.

Eight teams are scheduled to compete in the tournament, with Dunkirk Fastpitch taking on Dunkirk Lakeside Club to kick off the tournament on Friday at 6:30 p.m.. All day Saturday, games will be held at Promenschenkel Stadium and at the nearby School 7 field, beginning at 9 a.m., featuring teams from across New York, Ohio, and Canada.

After the results of the two games on Friday night and the 10 games held on Saturday, a championship game will be played at Promenschenkel Stadium on Sunday afternoon at 2:30 p.m.

In addition to the action on the field, the First Ward Falcon Club will have a food and beverage tent set up all weekend at the pavilion across from the stadium. Friday night, DJ Joe Gould will provide live music at the stadium. Saturday night, from 7-10 p.m., Ion Sky will perform at the First Ward Falcon Club.

OBSERVER Photos by Braden Carmen The First Ward Falcon Club’s Men’s Fastpitch Softball Tournament celebrated its 50th year of existence last year. Pictured are the participants of the inaugural Old Timers and Girls Game last summer.

For the last half a century, the First Ward Falcon Club has hosted a Men’s Fastpitch Tournament the third weekend of July. The tournament began in 1975 with organizers Mike “Harvey” Tofil and Jim “Tails” Fafinski. In 2000, current organizer Tim “Dopey” Wdowiasz began running the tournament. Over the years, thousands of players from around the world have participated.

At one point, more than 25 teams were competing on six different fields throughout the city in a double elimination format. Now, it is much more challenging to find teams to participate, and there is a lack of pitchers dedicating time to the craft. Even so, Wdowiasz has kept the event going for another year.

The local economy has been a major beneficiary of the tournament for the past 50 years, as guests visiting Dunkirk for the weekend often stayed in hotel rooms and visited local stores and restaurants. A year ago, close to 30 hotel rooms were booked because of the event, and that number used to be even higher in years past.

Wdowiasz began playing in the tournament in 1988. A last-minute cancellation from a Canadian team left the tournament in a bad spot, so Wdowiasz was part of a group of local players that formed a team to fill the open spot. He has not missed a year since.

“I’ve had a lot of fun playing and running the tournament,” Wdowiasz said a year ago, prior to the 50th edition of the tournament. “It’s always been a lot of great memories. A lot of great friendships have developed throughout the decades, playing and traveling together. … It’s not just the softball, it’s the friendships that you develop through the years.”

Last year’s 50th anniversary started a new tradition with the Old Timers and Girls Game, which honored the past participants of the tournament in a lighthearted contest before the games officially began. That new wrinkle to the tournament becomes part of the tradition this year.