The fourth annual Mayor’s Charity Golf Classic will take place Oct. 16 at Valley Grande Golf Course and benefit local special needs children from Selma and Dallas County.

The tournament, which is a three-man scramble, will benefit six charities: Cahaba Mental Health, West Alabama Rehabilitation-Easter Seals, The Journey School, Selma City Schools, Dallas County Schools and the Selma Disability Advocacy Center.

“Special needs children are sometimes left out as far as being rewarded and recognized and this is a means of them having their place also in the community for them to be appreciated,” Mayor George Evans said. “We do this in honor of special needs children and those parents that work with those kids.”

The day before the event the kids will be greeted by Disney characters at the Carl C. Morgan Convention Center. There will also be a bouncy house set up for the children to play on.

“It is a big party for them and we feed them and play music for them,” Reece said. “Then, the characters come in from Disney World.”

Elton Reece, director the Selma and Parks Recreation Department, estimated that between 25 and 30 teams will participate in the event and that the event will raise between about $8,000 and $10,000 for the charities.

Organizers are hoping for fair weather for the first time since the event started. In the three years of the tournament, Reece said it has been met with freezing cold weather, very hot temperatures, and some rain. Despite the crazy weather, he described the previous events as a “success.”

Registration is going on now for the 2013 tournament. The fees are $75 per player or $225 per team. At the end of the event, teams will be flighted and first, second and third place teams in each of the three flights will be awarded.

Tournaments sponsorships are available in four different categories, ranging from platinum to bronze level.

To register for the tournament, call the Selma-Dallas County Chamber of Commerce at 875-7241.