The local Muscular Dystrophy Association ALS Support Group will commemorate the 70th anniversary of Lou Gehrig's retirement from baseball from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. today with a potluck barbeque at Ke'ehi Lagoon Softball Field No. 2.

The event includes a softball game, raffle prizes, games, a country store and other entertainment. Raffle tickets are $5 and include a choice of hot dog or hamburger and a drink.

All proceeds will go to the ALS Therapy Development Institute.

The event is being held in conjunction with a national "BBQs 4 ALS" fundraising initiative co-sponsored by Major League Baseball and ALS TDI.

Gehrig, a Hall of Fame player for the New York Yankees, was forced to retire in 1939 after being diagnosed with ALS, a debilitating nervous system disorder that became to be widely known as Lou Gehrig's disease.