BAY MINETTE — Nearly 100 anglers have signed up for the April 21 Live Oak Landing benefit bass tournament and live auction at the majestic site on State Road 225, according to organizers.

All proceeds will benefit Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital in Pensacola, Fla. But the tournament also will give fishers a ticket to return to one of the most popular launching sites in Baldwin County, which has been closed for years by private owners.

Margo Allen, executive director of the North Baldwin Chamber of Commerce, said Wednesday the event will help revive the sport fishing industry in North Baldwin.

“As the chamber of commerce, it is our chance to welcome out-of-state visitors to the area and at the same time draw attention to all the other natural wonders and historical aspects of the north Baldwin community,” Allen said.

“This event will also give local residents a chance to again experience Live Oak Landing and its vast natural beauty. I hope this event is the first of many that will be held in north Baldwin.

“Live Oak Landing is a wonderful natural resource for Baldwin County, and people from all over can and should be able to experience its wonder and beauty. With any luck and some smart planning, it is the hope of the North Baldwin Chamber of Commerce that this event will mark the beginning of what will be a prosperous tourist industry in the north end of the county.”

The tournament is sponsored by Log-A-Load, which has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the hospital, according to a spokesman.

The first-place prize is $5,000. Tournament organizers are sponsored in Florida by the Florida Forestry Commission and the Florida Loggers Council. Sponsor fees also will benefit the hospital.

Negotiations between the owners and the Baldwin County Commission are under way to appraise and purchase the site, which has been closed to the public for years due to liability issues, according to Nick Warren, Baldwin County Bicentennial Park director.

Owners have agreed to open the State Road 225 site north of Interstate 10, for the tournament while purchase negotiations continue.

Tournament hours are safe daylight to 3 p.m. The entry fee is $130 for two until April 20, and $140 the day of the tournament. Fees include a Big Fish Pot entry. A live auction also is planned.

The estimated $10 million property is adjacent to Bicentennial Park.

This is a partner tournament, and first- and second-place lunker awards will be awarded, with your choice of partner and one award per team.

Children under 17 must have a parent or guardian with them in the boat at all times.

A live auction will feature fishing gear and other items.

Log-A-Load for Kids is a national program sponsored by an independent group of loggers, leaders from the wood products industry, and other local businesses who join to raise money for children in children’s hospitals across the country.

Local representatives of the forest products industry and local businesses in the Northwest Florida area have raised more than $600,000 in the past 15 years for Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital. Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital, in partnership with Nemours Children’s Clinic, Pediatrix and other specialty physician groups, uses this funding for the special treatment of sick and injured children, according to information on the group’s website.

For more information, call 850-968-4400.