Plaucheville Softball League celebrates 50th season

PLAUCHEVILLE, La. (KALB) - For a half century, kids from all around Avoyelles Parish have spent their summers on the diamond field in Plaucheville, playing in one of the longest active sports organizations in the area.

“Everybody’s children come play,” league organizer Alice Plauche said. “When Plaucheville puts on a tournament, it feels like everybody loves to play here, because we’ve kept it going for so long.”

On Sunday, June 14, the league celebrated the start of its 50th season with an opening ceremony that honored the families of the league’s founders and the board members.

“It’s the community and the volunteers, and without our volunteers, we couldn’t do this,” league organizer Stacey Dixon said. “We’ve seen from our parents, up through the next generation.”

Back in 1976, the league was formed when Harold and Maedel Lemoine sold part of their land to help build a field for the local kids to play on.

“That was my parents’ house, and one year, everybody had kids, and there was nothing for them to do,” Plauche recalled. “This was all our land right here, and Daddy sold it to the town, and the ballpark started. We started from scratch, and we never let it go.”

Today, the league holds over a dozen teams with over 300 kids from all around the Parish, playing games during a three-week stretch.

“This league is amazing because it has lasted 50 years, and you don’t really see that very often anymore,” league organizer Allison Plauche said. “I think we are all just a community where everybody cheers for everybody’s kids. We all support every single child that comes on this field, and we help them to learn to love to play ball.”

The league hopes to continue to grow even more in the next half-century.

“We hope it lasts another 50 years,” Cynthia Bordelon said.

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