The Christiansburg Parks and Recreation Department will serve as the host for 2012 Junior Dixie Boys Baseball World Series, which begins with opening ceremonies this afternoon (Friday) and concludes with the championship game on Wednesday, Aug. 8 at the Harkrader Sports Complex.

Twelve teams from 11 different states including Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia will compete for the championship in this annual event. The host team is the New River All-Stars (Christiansburg and Montgomery County).

The Christiansburg Parks and Recreation Department are no strangers in hosting the World Series, as they hosted the 2010 Dixie Boys World Series, which provided a major economic boost to the Town of Christiansburg.

"The World Series definitely helps our local economy," said Chuck Muncy, tournament director. "They all stay at local hotels, plus they shop and eat locally."

In addition to helping the local economy, the Christiansburg Parks and Recreation, the Christiansburg High School Girls Basketball Team and the Christiansburg High School Touchdown Club will be selling concessions, with those funds going to support their own programs, according to Muncy.

This year's activities will get underway at 1 p.m. Friday with the Fasted Base Runner, Around The Horn Relay and the Home Run Derby contests.

The opening ceremonies will start at 7 p.m. Friday night with Virginia Tech head baseball coach Pete Hughes serving as the guest speaker.

All of Friday's events will be held at the Harkrader Sports Complex and are free to the public.

The games will start at 1 p.m. on Saturday. The New River All-Stars will play Louisiana at 7 p.m. on Field 1.

All 23 games of the World Series will be broadcast live on www.valleysportsnow.com.

Admission to the games is $20 for an Adult Tournament Pass and $15 for Youth Tournament Pass.

Daily passes are $8 (12 and over), $6 for those ages 7-12 and free for those six and under.

2012 Tournament Game Schedule (Saturday August 4, 2012)
Game #1- Hattiesburg, Mississippi vs. Brunswick County, North Carolina (1:00 pm)
Game #2- Sumter County, South Carolina vs. Searcy, Arkansas (1:00 pm)
Game #3- Henderson, Texas vs. Enterprise, Alabama (4:00 pm)
Game #4- State Champion, Virginia vs. West Georgia, Georgia (4:00 pm)
Game #5- Sebring, Florida vs. Chester County, Tennessee (7:00 pm)
Game #6- Christiansburg, Virginia (Host) vs. Bossier City, Louisiana (7:00 pm)