WCVB spotlights 12th annual Tommy McNamara Wiffle Ball Tournament

WCVB's Wake Up Call segment from the 12th annual Tommy McNamara Wiffle Ball Tournament put Kennebunk's summer staple back in the morning spotlight. The event has lasted long enough to become part of the town's seasonal rhythm, and the latest attention underlined how much local weight the tournament now carries.

The Tommy McNamara Charitable Foundation's sign-up notice for the 2026 tournament listed Aug. 1 and 2 at Lower Village Park in Kennebunk, Maine, with games running from 8:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Full team payment was due by July 1, a sign that the tournament was organized well beyond a casual pickup day and run on a schedule that rewarded returning teams.

A foundation post identified Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026, as the official date and said the Red Cups won the Elite Division. That same post said the tournament was formed in 2013 and that the foundation had raised close to half a million dollars, showing how a neighborhood-style wiffle ball event has grown into a meaningful fundraiser with staying power.

The tournament's place in town is reinforced by Kennebunk's own facility listings, which include a Tommy McNamara Wiffle Ball Field. That kind of municipal recognition is rare for a game built around foam bats and a light plastic ball, and it helps explain why the event keeps drawing players and families back year after year.

The tournament was already established as a fundraiser by 2022, when it returned to Kennebunk, and its continued presence has made it more than a one-off summer outing. WCVB's choice to feature it in a Wake Up Call segment fit the event's appeal: it blends competition, local identity and a tradition that now spans 12 editions.