By Bonnie Culverhouse

Baseball and softball games are in full swing at Minden’s Rec Center, and the local city council is working to ensure that by the time “tournament season” arrives, Minden is ready to welcome visitors.

At Mayor Nick Cox’s request, the council voted unanimously Monday to enter into a sports tourism service agreement between city administration and Airstream Ventures, a Jacksonville, Fla.-based company with more than 40 years of experience in sports and events of all sizes.

District E councilman Andy Pendergrass said there are already several tournament entities asking about dates.

“It’s going to be a real thing,” he said.

For a flat service fee of $5,000, Airstream Ventures will bring a range of related services and expertise to the following:

• Client Hospitality
• Consulting
• Event Management
• Marketing
• Philanthropy
• Sales & Sponsorship
• Sports Tourism

Cox said representatives from the business visited Minden recently.
“They are ambitious and we had a good meeting,” Cox said. “They seem like they share the vision of what we are trying to accomplish.”

“This group really has me fired up,” Pendergrass added. “While they were touring our recreation complex, they were in the car calling tournaments about coming here.”

Pendergrass also pointed out that Airstream toured the city, including hotels and restaurants.
“They are even talking about bringing other types of events to Minden,” he said. “Biking events, water sports events …competitions at Caney Lake and the airport. It’s things that would bring traffic here. It will be a win for retail, lodging and restaurants.”

Minden is already scheduled to host the Dixie Youth World Series event in 2027. Airstream Ventures has also agreed to handle that event for a one-time fee of $12,000 paid one month prior to the event.