SLAMFEST WEEKEND CONTINUES

The best courtside seats were taken early Saturday as area basketball lovers flocked to Indian Park for the eighth annual Slamfest.

The title game will take place at 5 p.m., today at the park. It will be preceded by a gospel fest at 3 p.m. and a slam dunk contest at 4 p.m.

The Sixers from St. Louis have won the past four championships but might be hard pressed to make it four in a row. The defending champions lost in action against the Southeast Missouri State University squad Saturday afternoon.

The two-day, double-elimination tournament is sponsored by the House of Prayer Outreach Mission and brings together talent from Southeast Missouri, southern Illinois, and other parts of the nation.

Event organizer and church youth leader Scott Porter said 13 teams are participating in the tournament this year, matching last year's record.

Several thousand people are expected to attend the event.

"It's just the mystique of an outdoor basketball tournament," said Porter. "It's a positive event for our community. People come from all over to see this, then when it's over they don't ever want to leave."

Porter said families look forward to the tournament because it allows them to see friends and family, listen to gospel music, and enjoy "some of the best basketball to be seen."

Vendors selling food and beverages add a carnival atmosphere to the event, while performances by various church choirs and community youth groups make people feel as if they are at a reunion, Porter said.

"I'm starting to hear kids asking for a new outfit for Slamfest," Porter said. "It's like Easter or something out here."

Although athletes are featured throughout Slamfest weekend, Porter said church members have a greater objective in mind. All proceeds raised during the tournament -- some $12,000 to date -- are put towards the opening of the House of Prayer Educational Youth Domestic Center.

The center, located at 712 N. Independence, was stripped of worn carpet, furnishings and debris last fall and is undergoing extensive remodeling.

It is expected to open soon and will be a "safe place for Cape Girardeau youth to gather," Porter said.

Numerous programs are planned for the center, including Junior Achievement, a homework and literacy center, and training classes in spiritual, domestic, conflict resolution and career development.

Porter said Slamfest wouldn't continue without the cooperative efforts of church members, corporate sponsors and community members.

The tournament brings together the community for something positive, Porter said. Because people work together to make it happen, area youth will be able to gain useful skills at the educational youth center.

"It's gotten so big, I just don't know what to say," Porter said as he watched crowds milling around the park. "This is what it's all about."