One-Tank Trip for
May 27-17
(c) By Jim Fox
An historic stone farmhouse
jam-packed with artifacts in St. Marys is Canada’s shrine to baseball in an
area linked to the first game ever played.
Despite American
claims that the call “play ball” originated a year earlier at Cooperstown,
N.Y., Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum archivists
cried foul when the museum opened there in 1998 after moving from Toronto.
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| A replica 1940’s Girls Professional Baseball league uniform and historic bats can be seen at the museum. (Jim Fox photo) |
They chronicled the
origin to 1838 when a game closely resembling that of today’s was played in
nearby Beachville.
The museum is among
the sport’s area heritage sites including Beachville and London’s Labatt Park,
the world’s oldest baseball grounds from 1877.
The ball hall is a definitive
repository of the game’s treasures, offering aficionados an insight into the “Field
of Dreams.”
There are stories,
legends, early photos and artifacts including ancient pitching machines, bats,
balls and gloves on display and in storage.
It pays homage to
117 inductees who have left their mark on Canadian ball.
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| The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum will be getting a major addition. (Jim Fox photo) |
Donated items arrive
regularly to be artfully displayed in the museum run by a non-profit,
charitable foundation dedicated to preserving Canada’s baseball heritage.
Some early treasures
include a Babe Ruth bat, Ty Cobb’s 1920s-era glove and, yes, Toronto Blue Jays
World Series rings.
There’s the Cy
Young award won in 1971 by Ferguson Jenkins, a poster of Ruth hitting his first
professional home run at Hanlan’s Point in Toronto in 1914, a signed uniform
from Larry Walker and a colourful 1899 scorecard from the Toronto Baseball
Club.
Here’s the pitch
It’s an exciting
and busy time as the hall’s board recently approved a major expansion of the
museum, induction ceremonies and hosting some 900 events including tournaments
and clinics on the ball fields this year.
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| An antique pitching machine is one of the archives at the Canadian ball hall in St. Marys. (Barbara Fox photo) |
“The
2,500-square-foot (232.2-square-meter) expansion will enable the hall to
increase collection storage and curatorial work space and establish a library
and research centre for its extensive collection of books and archival material,”
said Scott Crawford, director of operations.
Work is to begin by
the end of the year on the $850,000 project to be funded by the hall’s capital
reserve and a federal grant.
“This is an
important initiative to address the immediate needs of the Canadian Baseball
Hall of Fame’s collection and to improve the experience for visitors to the
museum,” said board chair Adam Stephens.
Induction weekend
starts on June 22 with a Toronto reception and a celebrity golf classic June 23
at St. Marys Golf and Country Club.
The June 24
induction ceremony at 1 p.m. at the hall is followed by an autograph session
with current and past inductees.
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| A chair made from baseball bats and balls, and antique uniforms are on display. (Barbara Fox photo) |
New inductees
include Toronto Blue Jays legend Roy Halladay; Montreal Expos
great Vladimir Guerrero; past Baseball Canada president Ray Carter;
British Columbia umpire Doug Hudlin; and Team Canada 2015 Senior
Men’s National Team – Pan-Am gold medalists.
Take a dip
Visitors are
encouraged to bring along swim suits to take a dip in the quarry in this picturesque
community at the confluence of the Thames River and Trout Creek, about 15 minutes
west of Stratford.
Known as Stonetown
for the limestone used to construct many of its buildings, St. Marys is filled
with interesting shops, fine restaurants and inns.
Dating from 1841,
the community has many examples of work by early stonemasons, notably the town
hall, opera house, library, old water tower, churches, many houses and two
railway viaducts.
Hiking along the
Grand Trunk Trail on a former railway line to the Sarnia Bridge over the Thames
River provides panoramic views of the town. It then links with the River View
Walkway.
If you go
The hall at 386
Church St. S. is open now through Aug. 31, Monday through Saturday, 10:30 a.m.
to 4 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. From Sept. 1 to Oct. 7, Thursday to Saturday,
10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. Pre-booked tours are available Oct.
8 to May 4.
Admission is $7.50,
adults; $6, seniors; $3.75, ages six to 16; and $15, family (two adults, two
children). baseballhalloffame.ca;
(519) 284-1838
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Jim Fox can be reached at onetanktrips@hotmail.com
For more One-Tank Trips: http://1tanktrips.blogspot.ca
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