HISTORY OF THE DING-A-LINGS
The Ding-A-Lings Sports Club was formed in 1969 by a group of men that participated in various sports and attended sporting events together. Since they did everything as a group, it was only natural for them to start up a sports club. The first meeting was called to order on February 16, 1969, and the first order of business was to find a suitable name for the orga
nization. At the time, one of the most popular shows on TV was Rowan and Martin's Laugh In, and it was a favorite of this group of guys. One of the token sayings on the show was the term Ding-A-Lings. When the discussion of a name for the club came up, one of the members spouted out that "we're just a bunch of Ding-A-Lings" and the name stuck. The odd sounding name for a club brought some skepticism from the local people, so the men decided to bring some integrity to the club. They came up with the idea that all money they would make from sporting events would be donated to the youth of the Shannock Valley area. The community welcomed the new sports club to their hearts after that decision was made. The Ding-A-Lings played benefit softball, basketball and flag football games, and, as they promised, all of the money went to youth groups such as Little League Baseball, youth football, and girls AAU volleyball teams. The men were having fun doing something they really enjoyed, playing sports, and giving back to the community by helping youth athletics. DING-A-LINGS SCHOLARSHIP FUND
In 1970, the organization decided to start a scholarship fund. Club member Bob Fletcher made a motion to award a scholarship to a deserving student athlete at the local high school, Shannock Valley. The club had just heard the financial report, and the club had $67.00 in their treasury. Immediately, laughter broke out among the members as they said we would look pretty stupid giving out a 67 dollar scholarship, but Fletcher persisted. He said if the club sponsored some fundraisers, we could sponsor the scholarship, and the club finally agreed. The first Ding-A-Ling scholarship was for $200.00, and the recipient was Ed Alwine. As the years went by, the scholarship went up in value. In 1999, the club decided to award 2 scholarships per year, one to a male athlete, and one to a female athlete. It was also decided to raise the amount of each scholarship to $1000.00. As of today, the Ding-A-Lings award two $1500.00 scholarships per year. The first scholarships were awarded to Shannock Valley students. Then, when the Armstrong School District merged Shannock Valley and Dayton high schools, the scholarships went to Armstrong East students. Now, they are awarded to students of West Shamokin High School. What started as a joke in 1971 has developed into a program the Ding-A-Lings are very proud of, and, over the past 45 years, the club has awarded over $57,000.00 in student athlete scholarships. PENNSYLVANIA SENATE HONORS DING-A-LINGS
In 1994 and in honor of their 25th anniversary as an organization, the Ding-A-Lings' good friend, State Senator Pat Stapleton, introduced a congratulatory proclamation on the floor of the Pennsylvania Senate to honor the Ding-A-Lings. It was a wonderful tribute to the organization for their tireless effort to help youth sports in their area. Later, Senator Stapleton told the group that the proclamation didn't start out too well because of a spattering of laughter from his fellow senators when the Ding-A-Ling Sports Club name was read. After reading the accomplishments of the club with the funny name, he was given a standing ovation by the other senators in attendance. Senator Stapleton always remained a very close friend of the Ding-A-Lings. ARMSTRONG COUNTY HALL OF FAME
On April 27, 1994, the Armstrong County Hall of Fame honored the Ding-A-Ling Sports Club by inducting them into the hall. They were inducted under the special awards category for their work with athletics in the Shannock Valley area. DING-A-LING SLO-PITCH SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT
The main fundraising event of the Ding-A-Lings is their annual slo-pitch softball tournament held on the first weekend of August each year. The first tournament was held in 1969, and many people thought it would be a one-time deal. This August, the club will be celebrating their 46th annual tournament. The Ding-A-Ling tournament is the longest continual running slo-pitch softball tournament in Pennsylvania. The tournament runs 3 days and attracts some of the best softball players in the tri-state area. Teams from Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, and even Hilton Head, South Carolina have made the trip. What started our as just a softball tournament has developed into a summer time event in Yatesboro. The club offers BBQ chicken dinners that the members make themselves. Plus, there is a full concession stand of food and "The Goodies in the Woodies" beer stand, which sells beer as approved by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. On Sunday morning, the Q-102 radio station broadcasts live from the field with their "Sunday Morning Polka Party" show. The program emcee, "The Big Moose", presents the annual scholarships to the student athletes, and there is also a perogie eating contest held annually. OTHER FUNDRAISING EVENTS
In 1996, the Ding-A-Lings started a second, smaller tournament known as the Spring Ding. It is held in May on the weekend after Mother's Day every year. This tournament is one of the earliest tournaments of the year and has gained popularity each year. In 2007, the club ventured into the world of golf with their first annual golf tournament, which has become a very popular event for the club. The tournament is a 4 man scramble using the best ball on each hole and a bonus cash prize of $5000.00 for a hole-in-one on a designated hole. The club has also sponsored bowling tournaments and have participated in donkey basketball games to raise money for high school fundraisers. The Shannock Valley football teams played for years on the football field behind the high school in Rural Valley, but there was no scoreboard or clock on the field. In 1972, the Ding-A-Lings spearheaded a drive to raise the funds necessary for a scoreboard for the field, and that scoreboard is still in use today by the youth football program. SCHOLAR ATHLETE PROGRAM
In 2012, the Ding-A-Lings started a program where they would honor a student each month from West Shamokin High School. They called this award the scholar athlete of the month. This award honors a student (male or female) that excels in the classroom and on the athletic field or court. The Ding-A-Lings, in cooperation with Fox's Pizza of NuMine, have been honoring these student athletes each month. CLUB MEMBERSHIP
When the club started in 1969, there were 25 active members, and that stayed true until 1992 when the membership was raised to 30 members. This was done because of the need of extra help for additional fundraising. In 1999, the membership was increased yet again to 35 members, and that is where it stands to this day. Over the years, we've had many second generation members. Fathers who were in the club have seen their sons follow in their footsteps into the Dings, and, in a few cases, grandsons have become members giving us some 3rd generation members. Over the last 46 years, many members have come and gone, but there are still two members in the club that were a part of the original founders of the Ding-A-Ling Sports Club. The two members are Bert Colton, Sr. The Ding-A-Lings have monthly meetings on the last Sunday of the month, and every meeting is started with a prayer that was written by club member Joe Maffei before the very first meeting in 1969. The clubs colors are gold and black, and every member purchases their own club shirt and jacket. The tradition the club holds true to is that all money raised in their various fundraisers will be given back to the community in the form of youth sports activities.
