Melissa Bunkowske organized the Vergas effort and encouraged all local residents of Vergas (population 311) to register on the MBA website www.minnesotabaseball.org.  "My dad (Keith Bunkowske, manager of the Loons) told me that he didn't think we would have a chance to win," said Melissa, but she went ahead anyway.

She was notified last Friday by board member Dave Hartmann. "He left a message on my phone but when I called him back he wasn't there," stated Melissa.  So not knowing who Hartmann was, she went to her father and asked, "What have you involved me in now?"   She finally connected with Hartmann on Monday and found out that Vergas had won the contest.  "I was very excited and went to find dad right away," she said.  "He didn't believe it at first... but now he tells everyone he meets that Tony is coming to town."

Melissa is hardly a newcomer to town team baseball.  Her dad Keith has been the Loons manager for over 25 years and she has two brothers, AJ and Garrett, that play on the team.  She and her sister, Amber, grew up on baseball and the talk that goes with it.  "There is no meal in our house without baseball talk," said Melissa, "and this is very much a baseball town.  It is really fun to talk to the old timers in town about this because Oliva is such a favorite."

August 6^th is the date that has been picked for Tony Oliva to attend the Vergas Loons practice.  Melissa had a hand in that too.  She is an event planner and runs her own business, Enchanting Events by Melissa LLC.  She is also the webmaster for Vergas and that includes the baseball team.  The site is www.govergas.com.

She contacted M. Design and confirmed that Tony could come on August 6^th as the Twins are out of town. The event will start at 6:00 P.M. with Tony observing and helping the Loons practice.  At 7:00 P.M. Tony will address the crowd and answer any questions.  Then he will sign autographs for any and all attending.  The Loons request that fans bring only one item to autograph as they expect an overflow crowd.

Being the business person and Loon booster she is, Melissa and the Loons decided to make the entire event a fundraiser for the Loons.  The admission is only $5.00 for Adults and $3.00 for Children 12 and under.  That includes a Ball Park Picnic of hot dogs and chips.  They will also have a lot of door prizes including Twins tickets.

Melissa's slogan at Enchanting Events is "We make events happen."  She sure can deliver!

The Loons have a nice season going.  They are 9-7 in the Countryside League and 12-8 overall.  They recently qualified for the Region 16 playoffs with 3-2 wins over Frazee and Fergus Falls.

Vergas is located midway between Detroit Lakes and Perham.