The first two days of Lindsay’s Softball Festival were canceled this week after school officials received what was perceived as a threatening phone call Thursday afternoon related to the softball tournament.
School officials canceled all Thursday evening activities after receiving the threat.
Lindsay schools were already scheduled to be out of class Friday.
Lindsay Police Chief Jerry Kraft said law enforcement agencies from multiple communities and the FBI worked together Thursday to identify the source of the call, which was traced to a juvenile in El Reno.
El Reno was one of three schools slated to play in Lindsay’s Softball Festival Thursday.
There was also concern Thursday evening about whether Friday’s football game between Pauls Valley and Lindsay would be affected.
Once the threat was cleared, both schools issued statements on social media saying the game would be played in Lindsay as scheduled, but additional safety measures would be in place, including increased police presence and metal detectors at stadium entrances.
Pauls Valley Schools said in a comment with their social media statement the increased security measures were the result not only of Thursday’s events but also events that have occurred in the state over the last year.
“We enacted similar procedures following the incident in Choctaw last year, as did many districts around the state. Please understand that both Pauls Valley and Lindsay take the security of our students, fans and spectators seriously,” the comment read. “These games would not still be scheduled had the threat not been cleared by law enforcement and there not been a reasonable expectation of security for all involved.”
As of Friday evening, the Lindsay Softball Festival was set to resume Saturday with Lindsay playing Chickasha at 10 a.m. and Elgin at 11:30 a.m. Chickasha and Elgin are scheduled to play at 1 p.m.
Canceled games from Thursday and Friday are not expected to be rescheduled.