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Former Dodger Steve Garvey Hosts Summer Softball Classic and Family Fun Festival at Pepperdine

The Eddy D. Field Stadium at Pepperdine University's Malibu campus will serve as the location for Steve Garvey's Celebrity Softball Classic and Family Fun Festival on Saturday, July 10.

The former baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers will host the festivities from 12 noon, beginning with the Family Fun Festival that will feature autographs with baseball legends and celebrities, food and baseball memorabilia vendor booths, a rock-climbing wall, dog adoptions, dunk-an-ump, speed pitch booth, and entertainment provided by Tillman the Skateboarding Dog.

Jose Canseco, Ron Cey, Tommy Lasorda, Pete Rose and Maury Wills are among the baseball legends scheduled to appear. Last year's all stars included infielder Bret Boone, NFL running back Marcus Allen and outfielder Fred Lynn.

The Steve Garvey Celebrity Softball Classic begins at 6 p.m. following a home run derby among the ALS Tournament participants.

The event benefits the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the ALS Association, and kicks off the sixth annual Strike Out Lou Gehrig's Disease little league baseball tournament, which will be held the following week in Thousand Oaks, Calif. For every strike out or home run achieved by the little league players during the tournament, money is donated by tournament sponsors to help fund research into Lou Gehrig's Disease (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), a form of progressive motor neurone disease renamed in honor of the renowned baseball player.

"This is a great event to be held at Pepperdine because of the University's emphasis on philanthropy and reaching out to the community," says Kevin Borzenski, the events coordinator for Pepperdine Athletics. "I hope the Pepperdine community will support the event."

Admission to the festival is free. Tickets to the game are available online here at $20 for general admission and $10 for children aged 10 or under. For more information, contact Giovanna from the ALS Association's Greater Los Angeles Chapter at (818) 865-8067, ext. 229, or visit the Softball Classic Web site.