Opening ceremonies are at 8 a.m. Saturday on the main court, with the first whistle to blow at 8:30 a.m.

Player registration will be from 4 to 7 p.m. today at the 217 W. Hughitt St. cafeteria and 7 a.m. to noon Saturday on site. Players will receive bags at time of registration.

All games will be played on courts set up on Carpenter Avenue, starting at Ludington Street running south to C Street.

Up to 200 teams have signed up among 19 divisions to play on 20 courts. Children will have a chance to compete on the Dream Court, next to Ludington Street by Corner Auto. This “professional-like” court is a dream of the originator of Gus Macker, Scott McNeal, who started Gus Macker tournaments in 1974 on his parent’s driveway in Lowell.

BARB REISNER, A co-coordinator for the event, unpacks Gus Macker T-shirts for this weekend’s 3-on-3 basketball tournament. (Terri Castelaz/Daily News photo)

“Gus (Scott McNeal) himself will be up here this weekend,” said Gus Macker Vice President of Operations Mike Fuller, who has been with Macker for 27 years and helped organize events in Iron Mountain during its nine-year run.

Games played on the Dream Court will be announced as if they were broadcast on television, Fuller said.

Courts will be set up according to players’ age, height and their playing experience. “Players range from 9 up to our 40-and-older division,” Fuller said.

In addition to the daily basketball games, organizers have added some fun events that are open to non-participants as well. A free-throw contest is planned from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. They also will have a dinky-dunk contest from 10 a.m. to noon for ages 8 and younger and from noon to 2 p.m. for children age 9 and 10.

A slam dunk contest will follow the end of the final games Saturday, at roughly 5 p.m.

Trophy pickup will be 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday, along with closing ceremonies at the main court.

“There’s something for everyone, even if you aren’t a player,” Fuller said. “It’s all about fun.”

“We call it a hoop festival,” event co-coordinator Barb Reisner added.

The event will feature music as well, along with food and beverage vendors.

“This is going to be the first Gus Macker tournament in Michigan since COVID,” Fuller said. “It’s great to be back — I can’t say enough good about the volunteers.”

Seven-foot former NBA star Chris Kaman, also known as The Caveman, is expected to play in the top men’s division. Kaman was a star rookie player with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2003-04 and went on to play with several other NBA teams through 13 seasons.

“There are many other tournaments across the country that have decided not to have it this year, but with the support we got and beautiful community support, we went for it,” Reisner said. “Our children have greatly faced a lot of challenges and suffered a lot through the pandemic. They are happy to be mask-free outside playing basketball.”

The “Bring Gus Macker Back Event Team” was formed in 2019 to revive the tournament as a fundraiser for the new Imagination Factory Children’s Museum in the upper Central School site at 217 W. Hughitt St. The group had to postpone the event in 2020.

“We knew it was a fun and popular event years ago — something our whole community was involved in,” said John Estes, board president for Imagination Factory Children’s Museum. “We thought this was a good opportunity to bring it back.”

About 300 have volunteered to help with the event, Reisner said, adding, “this has taken a team effort — there is no way one or two persons can do this.”

She also stressed they couldn’t have done it without the Gus Macker team of Fuller, Scott McNeil and Patty Donovan.

Organizers received an overwhelming response from local businesses and organizations as well, with more than 80 sponsoring the event.

“I’m very amazed at the passion the community has for the Gus Macker,” Reisner said.

Nine major sponsors donated $3,000 or more, she said: Bellin Health, Kenneth James Salon, Sikora Sheet Metal Inc., Slumberland Furniture, LiUNA Michigan Local 1329, Bacco Construction, 100.7 Radio Now and Kim Harder Webb of Leeds Real Estate.

Proceeds from the two-day event go to Imagination Factory Children’s Museum and early literacy programs. They plan to purchase a virtual sandbox, an intricate exhibit, enhance the bathrooms upstairs and improve the Imagination Library as well as Reach Out and Read, where local physicians and medical staff give out books to children.

“Because of the Gus Macker, we are going to have a beautiful museum here.” Reisner said. “When the community saw where the money was going — which was to the children — they immediately said, ‘We are in.'”

Organizers plan to continue the Gus Macker tradition annually, hosting the event about the same time in July.

Gus Macker players will receive a discount for entry into this weekend’s Saturday in the Park fundraiser at Iron Mountain City Park.