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Sunday, May 15, 2005; M08

Most fundraisers require heels or a tux. Not Saturday's Northern Virginia Wiffle Ball World Series, where shorts and sneaks constitute perfectly acceptable attire. The competition was started a decade ago by a team of Virginians looking for a new way to keep active, but got redrafted as a benefit this year when one of its organizers, Brian Bedell, was stricken with brain cancer. Accordingly, proceeds go to the Brian Bedell 2-Yo ung Foundation, which aids cancer victims, their families and the Brain Tumor Center at Duke.

That greater purpose aside, those planning the event want fun to be a focus -- and for Wiffle aficionados, the World Series amounts to a real field day. You can watch 72 games (with players from 15 states and Canada), participate in a home run derby and enter kids in their own competitions. For those prone to waffle on things Wiffle, the day-long lineup also includes food, carnival games, face painting and an acoustic performance by Todd Watts, the singer-guitarist of the band Emmet Swimming.

Tony Sclafani

10th Annual Northern Virginia Wiffle Ball World Series, Saturday, 10 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Word of Grace Athletic Fields (formerly the old Redskin Park), 13832 Redskin Dr., Herndon. 703-629-1546. www.brianbedell.org . $5, ages 7 and younger free.