The concession stand at Bill Watson Memorial Park was vandalized recently.

Quentin McCardle, President of the Poplarville Athletic Association, said he discovered the damaged building around 5 p.m. on Monday as teams were preparing for football practice.

The park had been unused since Saturday morning, so the vandals could have broken into the building Saturday or Sunday evening, McCardle said.

The windows were shattered, profanity was painted on the walls, oil and snow cone syrup were poured around the facility, cooler doors were broken and newly purchased football equipment was stolen, McCardle said.

“They made a mess of everything,” he said.

He estimated the damage would cost $8,000 to repair.

“That’s all the money that we’ve scraped and saved,” McCardle said.

A report filed with the Poplarville Police Department states that it was unclear if locks were broken or not properly secured over the weekend, Poplarville Police Chief Butch Raby said.

Officers attempted to lift fingerprints from the doorknobs and from a baseball bat found at the scene, Raby said.

There are no suspects at this time, Raby said.

The Poplarville Athletic Association is privately funded through donations and registration fees.

The money raised goes toward equipment, maintenance, athlete insurance and covers registration for kids that cannot afford the fee, but still want to play, McCardle said.

“We’re trying to keep kids off the street so they don’t get involved in things like this,” McCardle said.

There are no surveillance cameras at the park.

Raby said anyone with information should contact the Poplarville Police Department.

After posting on their Facebook page Monday night, the group has received many offers for assistance throughout the county, McCardle said.

“The support has really been amazing,” he said. “We just hope that someone can identify who did it.”

The group began cleaning up the building Tuesday evening and plans to hold cleanup days and fundraisers in the community, McCardle said.

“If anybody want’s to help, go to our Facebook page for information,” McCardle said.