The Scott County Sports Hall of Fame is gearing up for another induction ceremony next month recognizing special achievements in the history of local sports.
In addition to the induction of its Class of 2026 nominees, recognizing former athletes and coaches, this ceremony will also include recognition of people who contributed to the sports community and a local team who achieved its special place in history.
The ceremony is set for 5 p.m. on April 25 at the Livingston Performing Arts Center at Roosevelt State Park in Morton. The Class of 2026 will include 14 honorees bringing the total membership to 133 since the organization was founded in 2014. Scott Engle, a football coaching staff member and team chaplain for East Central Community College, will serve as the keynote speaker.
Tickets will become available on April 1 and are $10 per person. Forest ticket locations will include Community Bank and Bank of Forest. The Morton ticket location is Bank of Commerce and tickets are available in Lake at the Scott County Broadcasting Network office on Highway 80. Tickets can also be purchased at the door.
The primary focus will be on the Class of 2026 including, pictured from top left above, Luke Reynolds, Gina Skelton, and Don (Pete) Stokes of Forest; Roxana Rogers-Sullivan and Brian Goodman, Lake; Billy Frank Alford, David Hollingsworth, and Don Pennington, all of Morton; Will Boswell, representing Scott Central; and Katie Phillips, representing Sebastopol.
The “Sid Salter Sports Contributor Award” will also be introduced, and recipients will also be considered members of the Hall of Fame. The first class of this award will include Sid Salter, former publisher of The Scott County Times; Chris Allen Baker former managing editor and sports editor of The Scott County Times; and “The Bag and Jack Show” (Freddie Bagley and Jackie Calhoun).
In addition to the inductees, the Hall of Fame will give special recognition to the 1969 Forest High School football team that finished its season undefeated.
Frank Edmondson, president and chairman of the selection committee, said this year’s ceremony will keep its primary purpose while adding a special distinction with the new award.
“First and foremost, this annual ceremony is about giving our honorees another opportunity to shine and for us to say, ‘thank you’ for the contributions they made to athletics and service to our communities,” Edmondson said. “The new award allows us to recognize people who contribute to our sports programs in special ways through their tireless efforts maintaining the information link between the community and our sports programs.”
Edmondson noted that the business community’s support of the Hall of Fame remains strong. “We appreciate the continued support of our sponsors and everyone who has contributed in any way,” Edmondson said. “We gained a new sponsor this year and have kept many of our veteran sponsors. We could not continue doing this without everyone’s help.”
In addition to attending the ceremonies, the public is always welcome to submit nominations for future classes. Once a person’s name is submitted and they are declared eligible, he or she remains in the nominations pool for consideration.
“The selection of each class is not an easy task as there are many worthy individuals who are qualified. We appreciate continued submissions that provide eligible nominees to consider,” Edmondson said. “We strongly encourage everyone who thinks they know someone who should be in the Hall of Fame to complete a nomination form whether they think their person has been nominated or not.”
Call Edmondson, 601-775-3857, for information or nomination forms. More information is also available on the website: scottcountysportshalloffame.org.
