The community will be coming together once again in the memory of Derek Lendosky for the fifth annual Do It 4 Derek activities in Fennimore.
The 2019 Do It 4 Derek and Steve Woodard Baseball and Softball July camp will be held July 22-25 in Fennimore.
 Ages 5-18, girls and boys will be geared up to play with the Pros and learn valuable tips, tricks and techniques to improve their game.
 The Steve Woodard Baseball Camp  is a unique baseball camp for kids who, along with former major league players will spend hours helping campers to developing their baseball and softball skills.
Everything from hitting to pitching will be covered. Infielders and outfielders will learn many of the techniques that professional players use to help them become better defenders. Pitchers will also have the opportunity to learn different grips and how to become a better pitcher. Plenty of instruction is also given on the basics of hitting, tee-work, soft toss, live pitching and base running.
Coaches
The coaches for this year’s camp will include Steve Woodard, Jim Gantner, Pete Ladd, Greg Vaughn, Bill Castro, Paul Wagner, Willie Mueller, Erin White, and new this year, Don August.
“Kids can do all four days if they want,” Lendosky said. “It’s nice that they are able to take advantage of the great instruction. We have a good mix of Fennimore people and kids from other areas. It warms your heart to see kids from other schools wearing their DoIt4Derek shirts and bracelets they’ve gotten from the camps.”
Last year 208 kids signed up for the camp, which Lendosky noted was “exciting” but wouldn’t have been possible without Woodard’s great leadership skills.
“Steve Woodard does a great job keeping the kids motivated,” Lendosky said.
The price will remain the same as it has been for the last five years for the camp, $100 for one camp or $150 for all four days.
On Monday, after the camps wrap up there will be the Pros verses Joes Do It 4 Derek Charity Softball game. The game will kick off at 7 p.m. at the Derek Lendosky Community Field.
“The Celebrity Softball game will have a live broadcast on WGLR which is always fun,” Lendosky shared.
Joining the major leaguers on the game will be NFL and former Badger players Bradie Ewing and Jared Abberderis. 
Each child in attendance will get a ticket and after every home run during the game a ticket will be drawn and a prize given to a child, courtesy of Community First Bank
Following the game there will be a home run derby and a fireworks display by Kastner Pyrotechnics.
The Pros roster includes Steve Woodard, Jim Gatner, Pete Ladd, Bill Castro, Don August, Paul Wagner, Greg Vaughn, Willie Mueller, Jared Abberderis, Bradie Ewing, Justin O’Brien, and Jim White. The Joes roster includes Drew Reuter-Frank Beer Distributors, Jim Coughlin-Pekin Life Insurance, Bret Doll-Century 21, James Neff- Fennimore Fire Dept., Dave Hartberg-Gundersen Boscobel, Ben Wood- Wood Law, Jake Adkins-EMC, Frank Riely-Frank’s Custom Coolers, Travis Washburn-H&N Plumbing and Heating, Steve Hemmer-Super Hits 10, Josh Kruel-Suppz and Mike Piersch- Harris Golf Carts.
On Tuesday, July 23 the second annual bean bag tournaments will kick off in the evening at 6 p.m.
Each bean bag board set will be a baseball card representing each of the Pros.
There are three categories, Youth, Fun, and Competitive.
There is still time to join the teams, two person teams, double elimination at $20 a team.
The tournament will be held at the Fennimore Fire Department. The department will also have food and beverages for sale starting around 5 p.m.
“The firemen do a great job of taking care of us,” Lendosky said.
On Wednesday, a new event will follow the daily camp outing.
“We decided to try something new this year and have a bingo and question and answer session along with a meal at the golf course,” Lendosky said.  “There will be meal of fried chicken and tips and full soup and salad bar from 5 p.m.-6:15 p.m. and then the pros will call games of bingo. If the pros number is called, you’ll win double the pot.  Following the games there will be about an hour of Q and A with the pros.”
The cost for this event will be $50 for the entire thing or just bingo and Q&A for $35. There are plenty of tickets left so be sure to get yours for this unique opportunity.
Thursday afternoon following the camp starting at 2:30 p.m. the favorite event of the week, the Celebrity Golf Outing.
“I have a waiting list for teams, but people can certainly come out and watch,” Lendosky said. “Lots of people come and sit at the holes and enjoy the games. At hole three we have a long drive where they hit the ball with a baseball bat.”
Bidding for team members starts at 2:15 p.m. with a silent auction and raffle drawings after the game.
“We are crossing our fingers for good weather,” Lendosky said. “Knock on wood, we’ve been blessed with good weather in the past; hopefully it’s the same this year.”
Lendosky also paid praise to the many people who come together in the community and beyond to help this happen.
“We have some wonderful people a part of this event,” Lendosky said. “We encourage everyone to come out even if they’re not participating, they can still watch. Lots of local people have developed personal relationships with the pros- that’s something special. It’s a great thing for our whole community.
For more information people can check out www.doit4derek.com or Doit4derek on Facebook.