In the last two Januarys, the people of Eastern Holmes County have once again dug deep financially.

With the support of the county commissioners, local business people, individual donors, Hiland High and the Ohio Girls Basketball Report, Berlin and the 1,800-seat Community Center has become the home of the highly regarded girls basketball event known as the Classic in the Country.  For three days (Jan. 15-17), 30 Ohio girls hoop teams and one West Virginia squad have been scheduled for 20 marquee games.

"When I first heard of the ideas (Hiland girls basketball coach) Dave Schlabach had about a possible event, I made a personal trip out to the high school to talk with him," said Holmes County Commissioner chairman Dave Hall.  "By law, we are able to use the bed-tax grant program -- money from hotel taxes -- to help with funding.  We know that this isn't our primary tourist season.  But, we also know that a lot of people who normally wouldn't come to our area are coming for this event, that they are seeing all the things Holmes County has to offer, and they are coming back when the weather gets better.

"We are actually the No. 1 tourist location in the state of Ohio.  We surpassed Cedar Point in number of people coming into our area," Hall added.  We're getting close to four million people per year coming to Holmes County during our peak (tourist) season, and the Classic is certainly a part of that.  How do I know?  Well, when I looked at the tax revenue from when we had the Classic last year, and the year prior when we did not, there was a considerable difference.

Intentionally scheduled over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, the Classic in the Country is intended to celebrate the legacy of Dr. King and the memory of former Hiland boys basketball coach Perry Reese Jr. -- the first black man in Eastern Holmes County, a man who died of a brain tumor in November 2000 but changed a community's views on race before he died.

Tom Jenkins, proprietor and owner of the Ohio Girls Basketball Report -- a top-notch scouting index -- is the man behind the magic if you will.  Jenkins, whose job is to provide college coaches with information on girls basketball players from Ohio, does all the game scheduling.

"An event with a special purpose, on a special holiday weekend, in a special corner of the world -- that's where the magic is," Jenkins said.  "When I sat back and tried to put (the game schedule) together, I wanted to have 60-70 percent of the teams be ranked in the state poll.  ... Only fools and weathermen predict the future, but it's also said that God looks over babies and fools.  I guess he was looking over me, because it's worked out beyond my expectations."

A little more than $30,000 is required to accommodate all the Classic in the Country needs, ranging from paying officials, feeding coaches, players and media, and reimbursement to teams for travel and hotel rooms.  So when 72 local sponsors have flipped the bill, Schlabach can only smile.

"I would say, yes, that I'm even surprised at the success the event has had and the support level of our sponsors and community," Schlabach said.  "The success from the first year to the second is astounding, and I think we have a number of years in store where we will see steady growth.

"We couldn't run anything without our sponsors.  It just could not happen," Schlabach added.  "So, we are constantly doing anything we can to promote their businesses.  We still have a number of sponsors who can't really capitalize on anything, though. I think they just realize how important it is to help showcase the area."

Ben Mast, owner of the Holmes County Amish Flea Market, has been the primary business sponsor for the inaugural and second annual Classic in the Country.  Mast is on vacation in Florida, but his daughter and Amish Flea Market general manager, Julie Baird, is part of the 150-strong volunteer crew helping to run the Classic in the Country II.

"Dave (Schlabach) has such a great program, and the community knows that if he's going to start something, he's going to do it right," Baird said.  "The event is a class act, and we didn't have any hesitation signing on.  It's just a wonderful three days.

"Our business is open March through December, so we're not open right now.  We're just hoping that people come here, see what Holmes County has to offer, and make an effort to come back -- whether it be a month-and-a-half from now, summertime or the fall."