COMEBACK STORY. LITTLE LEAGUERS ARE BACK ON THE DIAMOND HERE IN ALLERTON, THE SOUTHERN IOWA TOWN OF 400 PEOPLE DID NOT LET A TORNADO DESTROY JOY. THE HEARTBEAT OF THEIR COMMUNITY. OH, IT’S WEDNESDAY NIGHT IN ALLERTON AND THESE BOYS ARE READY TO PLAY. IT’S THAT SUMMER FEELING THAT BRINGS OUT THE ENTIRE TOWN. EVERYBODY EQUATES SUMMER WITH BASEBALL. OR AT LEAST THEY SHOULD. BUT 14 MONTHS AGO, THIS FIELD WENT FROM THE TOWN’S PRIDE AND JOY TO A DISASTER ZONE. WHEN AN F2 TORNADO TORE THROUGH. I SAW THE BALL FIELD AND I WAS MAD. HEARTBREAK FOR KIDS WHO’D BUILT LIFELONG MEMORIES ON THE MOUND. IT’S KIND OF SAD. AND BECAUSE I PLAYED ON THOSE FIELDS, THERE WAS NOTHING LEFT. THE CONCESSION STAND, IT WAS A DEBRIS FIELD SCATTERED TO THE EAST, JUST THE INITIAL CARL WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO NOW TYPE OF REACTION WITH BASEBALL IN LIMBO, THE TOWN RALLIED AND THE LONGTIME FIRE CHIEF LED THE CHARGE. I ACTUALLY HAVE NO IDEA HOW LONG IT TOOK. SEEMED LIKE FOREVER. COUNTLESS HOURS OF LAYING DIRT. BUILDING A CONCESSION STAND FROM SCRATCH AND INSTALLING NEW LIGHTS. ALL LED UP TO THIS. HOW PROUD ARE YOU OF THE FINISHED PRODUCT. IT’S IMPRESSIVE. LIKE GOOD THROWS DURING PRACTICE. THROW IT OVER THEIR HEAD FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MORE THAN A YEAR, TEAMS TOOK THE FIELD THIS WEEK. THE FACT THAT THAT WE HAVE ESSENTIALLY BRAND NEW FIELDS THAT THE KIDS CAN COME OUT ON OF ALL AGE GROUPS AND GET SOME BENEFIT OUT OF IT IS JUST TREMENDOUS. NINE AREA TEAMS WILL GET THE CHANCE TO MAKE MEMORIES HERE AGAIN, BUT IT’S THE LOVE THAT WENT INTO THIS, THAT ALLERTON FIRE CHIEF HOPES THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER. YOU BUILD IT, THEY’LL COME AND IT’S WE DID HER IN ALLERTON LAURA TERRELL KCCI EIGHT NEWS. IOWA’S NEWS LEADER. THEY SURE GOT IT DONE. WAY TO GO FOR THAT COMMUNITY. THE DUGOUTS AND BLEACHE