May 12, 2023

Baseball legend Pete Rose will headline the 42nd Annual Law Enforcement Appreciation Dinner and Children’s Charity Fundraiser in Sioux Falls later this year.

Rose holds the all-time Major League Baseball records for career hits (4,256), games played (3,562), at bats (14,053) and plate appearances (15,890).

Nicknamed “Charlie Hustle,” Rose was named the 1973 Most Valuable Player for the National League and World Series Most Valuable Player in leading the 1975 Cincinnati Reds to their first championship since 1940. In all, Rose was a three-time World Series champion, an All-Star in 17 of his 24 seasons, and finished with a .303 career batting average.

This year’s event is Oct. 25 at the Ramkota Exhibit Hall and expected to be attended by nearly 2,000 people, making it the largest of its kind in the country, organizers said. It sells out months in advance, and currently no tickets are available.

“It is certainly rare that a charity fundraiser of this size sells out months in advance,” said Scott Abdallah – co-chair of the annual event. “The demand for this event every year is a reflection of how much our community honors and respects the law enforcement officers who sacrifice to protect us all every day.”

The Law Enforcement Appreciation Dinner was founded 42 years ago by Gene Abdallah as a way for local business and community leaders to come together and honor law enforcement officers throughout South Dakota. The event has also raised millions of dollars for children’s charities in the name of law enforcement. Each year at the dinner, one law enforcement officer receives the William J. Janklow Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award.

“This will certainly be a rare opportunity for all baseball fans to meet the greatest pure hitter to ever play the game,” Abdallah said. “There will never be another player in our lifetime to play the game like Pete Rose.”