Cherry Hill adds family-friendly Wiffle Ball home run derby on July 22

Cherry Hill Township is setting up a Wiffle Ball home run derby that wants the edge of a real competition without losing the easygoing feel of a summer night at the park. The event is scheduled for July 22 at Cherry Hill Atlantic Little League at Decou Sports Complex, with a rain date of July 23, and it starts at 5:15 p.m. at 470 E. Evesham Road in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

The design is deliberate. Participants must register in advance, no walk-up batters will be accepted, and the field is capped at 60 entrants per division. The derby is open to batters age 6 and over, with players sorted into four age groups: ages 6-8 at 5:15 p.m., ages 9-11 at 7:30 p.m., ages 12-14 at 5:15 p.m., and ages 15 and older at 7:30 p.m. Registration is based on a player’s age as of Aug. 31, 2026, a cutoff that keeps the divisions tied to where kids are headed, not just where they are right now.

The entry fee is $10, low enough to keep the barrier down while still signaling that this is organized, not improvised. Cherry Hill Township is also offering optional event T-shirts for $15 through a separate registration, and the township says the derby is presented by Mayor David Fleisher as part of the Mayor’s Wellness Campaign. That framing matters: this is not just a one-off novelty built around a few big swings. It is being packaged as a recurring-style summer event with a civic sponsor and a clear structure.

The atmosphere is meant to keep families on site even if they are not in the batter’s box. Music, concessions, an ice cream truck and other family-friendly entertainment are part of the plan, turning the derby into more than a quick hit-and-run contest. Cherry Hill Township is also looking for volunteers, and the volunteer form says helpers must be at least 15 years old. Shifts run from 4:45 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. and from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., another sign that the township expects a full evening at the ballpark rather than a short exhibition.

Cherry Hill is also tying the event to the larger summer baseball calendar, pitching it as a local celebration of the MLB Home Run Derby and All-Star Game. That may be the smartest part of the setup: the event borrows the drama of a power contest, but the age-based divisions, price point, advance registration and family programming are what could make it stick.