As John Fogerty famously said in his song “Centerfield”, we’re born again and there’s new grass on the field. Many baseball and softball players have heard that song at some point. The song was played for boys and girls upon their arrival at Bulldog Park to set the tone for the City of Crown Point’s Ball Diamond Sports Festival.
The celebration took place on Saturday, May 3, opening with a parade that featured the players throughout downtown Crown Point. The players then made their way to Bulldog Park, where they had an opportunity to play games and try out exciting activities.
Paul Waisnora, athletics director of the PACE (Parks, Athletics, Communications and Entertainment) Department for the City of Crown Point, admires how the residents of this community can come together to celebrate the kids getting back into the swing of things on the field.
“This is our third annual Ball Diamonds Sports Festival,” Waisnora said. “We have vendors show up, along with our opening day parade for our girl’s softball and our Cal Ripken Baseball League. The parade has been going on for a while, but we just started doing the festival in recent years.”
Crown Point Mayor Peter D. Land has been a lifelong resident in the Crown Point community. He has looked forward to this celebration for years, ever since he was walking the same route for the parade.
“This is a big day for us,” Land said. “This has been a long standing tradition, dating back to when we called it the Little League parade. A league like this takes a lot of people working together all year round, and we have a dedicated group of great people.”
Between tossing bags, corn dogs, and an opportunity for kids to practice their pitching, this family friendly event had something that everybody could enjoy.
“You’ve got food vendors, you’ve got pretzels, the Great Lakes Sports Hub, and face painting for the girls,” Adam Graper, chief admin of PACE Department, said. “You’ve got a little bit of everything, even for the families with people who play multiple sports.”
As this celebration has continued to grow every year, the City of Crown Point worked together to ensure that this year it would be the best edition of the event. Graper recognizes how important sports are in this community, and it was imperative for them to make this day special.
“This is truly a great community,” Graper said. “No matter what we do, they’re always behind us on everything. There’s nothing stronger than youth sports in the Region, especially in Crown Point. To have an atmosphere where you can go out, walk with the kids, and be a part of the community, it makes this city a great place to be.”
While the Cal Ripken Baseball League has already kicked off its season, the girl’s softball teams will get started on Monday, May 5. Tom Hadt, president of the Cal Ripken Baseball League, has seen several baseball players come through this program and become a better player as a result.
“Something that I’m very proud of is that of the 23 rostered Crown Point High School varsity baseball players on the current team, 19 of them play in the Cal Ripken Baseball League,” Hadt said. “Four of those kids are going to be Division One baseball players. Some of them are going to Indiana University, one is going to Tennessee University, and one is going to get drafted.”
Despite the success that many players have had after playing in the Cal Ripken Baseball League, Hadt is adamant on making sure this experience primarily aims to create fun memories for the kids to cherish for a lifetime.
“I can’t stress enough that, at this level, it’s about letting them have fun," Hadt said. "There are no MLB scouts or college sponsors here. We’re making great memories here, and that’s the most important thing for us.”
John Stroia, activities director of the PACE Department, has seen similar growth to the girl’s softball programs in the Region. He credits the volunteers who have helped play a part in making the level of participation higher than ever before.
“Our volunteers do a phenomenal job,” Stroia said. “We have 54 teams in our league with over 150 people helping out, volunteering and coaching this year. We are very thankful for that solid foundation in making our program a success. This year, we have an all-time high of 61 sponsors. What's most exciting for me is when the City of Crown Point took over the girls softball program, there were 240 girls playing in the year before. Including our recreation division, our travel division, and our women's softball division, we have 76 teams and over 850 girls playing softball.”
Many people consider baseball to be America’s pastime. This event is the ultimate party for boys and girls in Northwest Indiana to soak in the moment. From stolen bases to double plays, the Crown Point community is on the edge of their seats, as this season is sure to be a grand slam.
“The look on the kids’ faces when they do the parade is so overwhelming,” Waisnora said. “They always look forward to celebrating the start of the season. Spring is here, the summer is coming, and we’re ready to play ball.”
The City of Crown Point is appreciative of the vendors that have supported this event. Booths for various organization filled Bulldog Park at the festival including Meraki Hospitality Group, Great Lakes Sports Hub, Buffalo Wild Wings, Skin Colour Pro, Kevin’s Pretzel Factory, Chippopotamus Golf, Crown Creamery, Damo’s Dogs, Play It Again Sports, The Ruvoli Group, Lake County CornDogs Baseball, and a Crown Point merchandise shop.
For more information on the City of Crown Point, you can visit crownpoint.in.gov.
