Heydays of the Terry Moran festival over, but softball tournament lives on

The annual softball tournament in honor of Terry Moran will be held Saturday, July 16, in Rolling Meadows, but the family festival will be missing after a 14-year run.

Steve Moran, brother of the hall of fame softball player who died in a car accident 16 years ago, wants people to understand the perfect storm that ended the festival.

All kinds of people jumped in to help when Terry Moran died and his family decided to stage a “little softball tournament” so his infant son, Patrick, “could grow up hearing some of the stories about his dad and getting to know his friends.”

People got excited, especially because historically Rolling Meadows had been a hotbed of 16-inch softball. Sponsors, volunteer organizations and donations of beer, hot dogs, music and referee services rolled in.

“It really became a town festival for the right reasons,” said Steve Moran. “It was not someone trying to make money, but grew from the grass-roots and took off.”

The Moran family got into an annual pattern, sleeping Friday night in Kimball Hill Park after setting up, working all day Saturday and cleaning up on Sunday morning. Aunts and uncles flew in from California to help.

“It was magical,” said Steve Moran. Eventually the family hired three bands each year, like The Buckinghams, British Export, and New Invaders. But the Morans thought it was important to keep the prices for food and children’s fun low so families could enjoy the day at a reasonable cost.

To Steve, the festival and everyone who pitched in represented the best in Rolling Meadows.

At its peak the festival drew 50 softball teams and 8,000 to 10,000 people. Altogether a family foundation was able to donate $180,000 to the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, chosen because one of Terry’s nephews has that condition.

But donations and attendance have decreased over the years, especially during the recession. In fact, the last two years Geri Moran, Terry’s mother, has had to contribute her own money to cover expenses. Some people didn’t even seem to understand that food and drink sales were critical to the success of the festival and despite the low prices brought their own supplies, said Steve Moran.

The festival could be staged with donations of about $12,000, but his family just can’t risk the potential losses any more.

Frank Fiarito, brother of Terry’s widow Cathy Moran, organized Saturday’s tournament, which has drawn about 30 teams, including six coed ones, said Amy Charlesworth, director of parks and recreation. The games will start at 10 a.m. at Kimball Hill Park, 33301 Campbell St., Rolling Meadows. Concessions will be sold, but Charlesworth is not expecting much profit.

“The festival served the purpose for my family for healing,” said Steve Moran. “The first year was so tough, then after the first year my dad (Donald) passed away, and Dad loved the festival. It created a bond with my family and our friends.”