St. Marys, Ont. – A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on August 7 at 6:00 p.m. to officially open the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s fourth ball diamond.
The public is invited to attend the event that will take place on the new field, which is located just outside the museum’s entrance.
Construction of the diamond, which will be named King Field in honour of the King family, was overseen by the Hall and funded by the Town of St. Marys.
“I am very pleased, as I am sure the hundreds of ball players in St. Marys are, to see the new ball diamond at the CBHFM completed. The entire complex is something we can all be very proud of. The staff and all the hard working dedicated volunteers of the CBHFM are to be congratulated on a job well done.” said Steve Grose, the Mayor of St. Marys.
“We’re very thankful for the support we received from the Town of St. Marys for this project,” said Scott Crawford, the Hall’s director of operations. “This is a first-class diamond that will be enjoyed by children and slo-pitch players in our community for generations to come. And with home plate being just a 280-foot poke to right field from our museum, this diamond will also attract more visitors to come in and see our artifacts.”
King Field is the fourth diamond on the Hall’s 32-acre site, which was donated by the St. Marys Cement Plant. The three other fields –St. Marys Cement Plant Field, Rotary Field and Third Field – have been in use for several years and are played on hundreds of times a year.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony will be followed by short speeches from local dignitaries and a ceremonial first pitch. Those who attend the event can also stay to watch the St. Marys mosquito team (10 and 11 year olds) compete in their first game of the Western Ontario Baseball Association (WOBA) championship tournament at 6:30 p.m. The mosquito tournament will continue in St. Marys over the weekend.
The museum will be open until 8 p.m. on August 7. Admission – for that night only – will be by donation.
Just a reminder that the Hall will also be open seven days a week in August, from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Monday to Saturday and from noon to 4 p.m. on Sundays. Starting in September through the Thanksgiving weekend, the museum will be open Thursday through Sunday. Please visit baseballhalloffame.ca for more details and admission prices.
Agenda for the evening of August 7:
5:30 p.m. – Meet and Greet
6:00 p.m. – Opening Ceremony
6:30 p.m. – St. Marys Mosquito (10 and 11 year olds) game
