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WATERVILLE — Ballplayers, volunteers and local officials will gather Saturday, April 29, for the grand opening of Purnell Wrigley Field at 47 Matthews Ave., which has undergone a $1.4-million renovation.
The field, a replica of Wrigley Field in Chicago, is one of two licensed replica turf fields in the country. The other is Harold Alfond Fenway Park in Oakland.
While the two Major League Baseball fields have real grass, the replica fields have artificial turf, making the more accessible to players with handicaps.
“These fields give kids the opportunity to feel like real major league players,” said Ken Walsh of the Boys and Girls Clubs and YMCA of Greater Waterville at the Alfond Youth Center. “The turf not only gives everyone the chance to play, but extends the baseball season here in Maine, giving kids more time to develop their skills and learn sportsmanship while playing the game they love.
“The Purnell Wrigley Field is truly a grass-roots community project, built on the support of many and varied contributors of monetary and in-kind gifts. It’s a wonderful project honoring the legacy of some terrific hometown heroes.”
Sponsors and volunteers who helped contribute to building the field will be recognized at the April 29 event, which begins at 9 a.m. More than 100 Cal Ripken League baseball players and coaches will be on hand to kick off the baseball season, and the Challenger team, started by Fran Purnell in 1990, will also be celebrated. Former Cubs and Red Sox Major League Baseball Player Lee Smith will throw out the first pitch and sign autographs.
The new field has a 30-foot replica Wrigley score board, as well as a new press box, concession stand and bathrooms. The dugouts have 24-foot murals of the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series along with a new lighting system. Some $600,000 of the 1.4 million-project was in-kind gifts from the community. The project was in partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs and YMCA at the Alfond Youth Center and the Waterville Park & Recreation Department.
For more information, contact Walsh, CEO of the Alfond Youth Center, at 649-1824 or kwalsh@alfondyouthcenter.org.
