MOBILE, Alabama -- More than 70 people plan to vault high into the air in the middle of Dauphin Street today, and downtown business owners and officials are hoping the novel event draws a crowd.



Pole vaulters from all over the Southeast are set to compete in the inaugural Dauphin Street Vault starting at 2 p.m. The city is closing Dauphin from Jackson to Joachim streets for the event.



"It will be like one block party," said McGill-Toolen track and field coach Drew Bentley, who created the event. "We're expecting a big crowd. Tons of people we talked to plan to come out and watch, and we hope it will catch on and become an annual event."



The timing of the event is fortuitous, said David Rasp, owner of Heroes Sports Bar & Grille, because summer weekends tend to be downtown's slow time, as many people head to the nearby beaches.



"Anything that generates activity and traffic in the summer is especially beneficial to us," he said.



Mobile City Councilman William Carroll, who represents the downtown area, said the event would follow normal track and field weather rules -- rain won't stop it, but the vaulters will break for 30 minutes after any flash of lightning.



Many of the elite vaulters have competed nationally and internationally.



"We have 10 guys who have vaulted over 17 feet and 10 girls over 10 feet," said Bentley. "It will be more competitive than the Mobile Challenge of Champions."



Some of the notable elite male competitors include David Ryland of Bell Athletics, who has a personal-best vault of 19 feet, 2 inches, and former McGill-Toolen stars Thomas Fowlkes (17-1) and Nick Farrell (16-7), who currently competes for Auburn.



Notable elite female vaulters include Mobile Challenge of Champions record-holder Morgan Lelux (14-3), former St. Paul's and current Ole Miss star Neal Tisher (13-8), former McGill-Toolen and South Alabama star Emily Sawyer (12-8), and a pair of local state champions — St. Paul's Chantel Krause (12-7) and UMS-Wright's Alex Reaves (11-6).



Carol Hunter, spokeswoman for the Downtown Mobile Alliance, said visitors today can focus on the athletes in addition to downtown's parks, restaurants and stores.



"It's something that cuts across all age ranges and demographics," Hunter said. "Hopefully it will bring some new folks downtown."



For more information about today's event, visit highvaultageevents.com.

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Sports Correspondent Arthur L. Mack contributed to this report.