Lakers fight cancer at townball event

By Brenda Erdahl

The Maple Lake Lakers are doing their part to knock out cancer with their upcoming TownBall Knocking Out Cancer event on Saturday, June 22 at Laker Stadium.

A fun-filled day of baseball, food, silent auction and celebrity appearances starts at 12 p.m. with a baseball game featuring townball teams Loretto and Avon.

Randy Shaver KARE 11 anchor who established the Randy Shaver Cancer Research & Community Fund with his wife after he was diagnosed with prostrate cancer, will throw out the first pitch.

At 2:30 p.m. Howard Lake will take on Kimball and at 5 p.m. Maple Lake will play Waconia. All three games will be seven innings and will be broadcast on KRWC 1360 and NSPN.tv.

During each game, tickets will be available for 50/50 raffles. A silent auction will run throughout the entire day ending during the last game.

A variety of items will be up for grabs including bean bag board sets, Laker season passes for the 2025 season, a special championship Laker beer case, wine packages and more, organizer Riley Decker said. Only cash, check or Venmo will be accepted as payment at the silent auction.

The Maple Lake Lions will also be on site throughout the day grilling their famous hotdogs, brats and burgers.

All of the day’s proceeds will go to the Randy Shaver Cancer Research Foundation.

Shaver has been a news and sports reporter at KARE-11 Television in Minneapolis/St. Paul since 1983. He has always been focused on cancer research and the Minnesota cancer community, but in 1998 when he was diagnosed himself, the fight became personal, and he became more passionate than ever about finding a cure.

The Randy Shaver Cancer Research and Community Fund is unique in that less than 10 percent of the monies raised are spent on administrative costs, the rest is spent on technology and tools that enhance early detection of cancer, new programs promoting research to help prevent cancer relapses, projects that demonstrate research in the area of cancer and programs that enhance the lives of Minnesotans living with cancer by providing aid and assistance.