Beginning last week, The News Courier began running stories featuring each of the seven members of the 2018 class of the Limestone County Sports Hall of Fame. Those features continue today with a story about Elkmont football star Michael Boley.

This year’s class features men and women who have made their mark on sports in Limestone County. It features everyone from a Super Bowl winner in Boley to high school legends who still live in the memories of those who watched them play, such as former Athens High quarterback Carl Wayne Bolton.

That’s what makes county hall of fames such as Limestone County’s so special. All across the United States are small town and counties with their small town and county legends. People who might not have gone on to have great success at the collegiate or professional level, but whose success on the local level still stir fond memories.

Without local level halls of fame, perhaps those names and memories would be lost in the sands of time. With so many athletes having played in Limestone County throughout the decades, it would be easy to perhaps forget those who thrilled us with their skills 25, 30 or 40 years or more ago.

But with the names of the greats permanently enshrined in the Limestone County Hall of Fame, it causes us to see those names and remember the great memories they gave us when they played on the gridiron, court or diamond.

A lot of credit should go to the men and women who have served on the hall of fame board of directors. Without their hard work, none of it would be possible. They diligently comb through nominations and select the men and women who are deserving of being in the Limestone Count Hall of Fame.

With thousands of athletes to choose from over decades and decades of time, that is no easy task. It’s a lot of work and those on the board should be commended for it.

But the Limestone County Hall of Fame serves as more than a place of honor for the great athletes who have come through this county. It also serves as a scholarship program which gives deserving high school athletes a chance to continue their education at the collegiate level.

The hall of fame’s golf tournament raises most of the money for the scholarship program, which gives monetary scholarships to two high school athletes in Limestone County.

This year’s tournament is named after former board member Martha Jo Leonard, and will take place Thursday, June 7 at Canebreak Golf Club.

It is a fitting beginning to the weekend, as the hall of fame banquet takes place two days later on June 9. It will be a great weekend to honor those athletes of our past and also help some for the future with some scholarship money.

Some of the fondest memories we have are of sporting events gone by. The Limestone County Sports Hall of Fame is helping us keep those memories alive.

Jeff Edwards can be reached at jeff@athensnews-courier.com.