I’ve had a lot of windshield time lately as we’ve been driving (about 7 hours round trip) to and from my hometown of Williamsport, PA. We’ve had some family business to attend to but we plan to turn our attention to the main event up there – Little League Baseball. We’ll attend the Grand Slam Parade in downtown Williamsport and the first couple games.
The parade will travel straight through downtown on Fourth Street culminating at the architecturally beautiful Masonic Hall. Recently, that building (I believe constructed in 1897) had its exterior stone cleaned and some awnings installed noting the Blue Lodges that meet there. They did a great job. (By the way, the man who invented Little League Baseball, Carl Stotz, is a Pennsylvania Freemason.)
The neat thing about the parade route is that Fourth Street is normally one-way traffic heading west – but the parade will travel east. Visitors won’t know the difference. But to a 43-year old man who hasn’t seen a parade travel east or west in downtown Williamsport in more than 30 years …well, I just don’t know if my aged and fast food-clogged heart can handle it.
The Grand Slam Parade will feature ten divisions – each with its own local high school band. My mom, who has always been a devoted Little League fan and supporter, says the parade handouts are great – candy, souvenir trading pins, drinks and more. Some big time manufacturers like Pepsi, Frito-Lay and Kellogg’s have plants in Williamsport so don’t be surprised when a guy hands you a can of Pepsi and the next person hands you some Pop Tarts or a bag of chips – all for free and in celebration of a wonderful American tradition – what a great country!
Carl Stotz invented Little League Baseball in Williamsport in the 1930’s. To read his story is amazing. As soon as an idea for a new aspect of his baseball for boys dream would pop into his mind he’d daydream about it, building the notion bigger and bigger until he finally would act on his thoughts. To his amazement, many of his dreams came true.
Today, seventy or so years after those daydreams, 11- and 12-year old boys (and their families) from around the globe dream of coming to Williamsport to play in the Little League World Series. That’s a nice daydream.
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Sincerely,
Troy T. Bausinger, President & Publisher
609-397-5601, Ext. 231, troy@jobsitemagazine.com