The college basketball season may be over, but as the weather warms the amateur 3-on-3 season begins to heat up as well in the Tri-State.

One of the premier 3-on-3 tournaments in the area is the Ironton Gus Macker sponsored by the Friends of Ironton. On Thursday evening the FOI held its annual “Macker Mania” event at Buffalo Wild Wings in the Ironton Hills Plaza.

The event included games for children, an appreciation dinner for sponsors and door prizes that all patrons of the restaurant had a chance in winning.

“It’s just a way for us to say thanks to our sponsors by treating them to dinner,” Beth Campbell, Ironton Gus Macker director said. “It also gives us a chance to promote the tournament to the public. BW3’s is a big sponsor of ours and they give us a great location to get out and be visible to the public.”

The FOI are involved in various projects in Ironton including Rally on the River and the Ro-Na Theatre restoration. The Gus Macker tournament is one of the group’s most well known fundraisers.

“We don’t make a ton of money off the tournament,” Campbell said. “At least not the money that people would assume we make. But it’s not about the money anyway. One of the reasons I love this event is because of how family friendly it is.”

WTCR radio personality Clint McElroy was on air live at the event to help promote “Macker Mania” and the upcoming tournament.

Gus Macker is scheduled for May 17-18 and costs $140 per team. Teams can register by going online at www.macker.com and searching for Ironton. Online registration for the tournament ends April 28.