A baseball game aimed at honouring the legacy of the Chatham Coloured All-Stars is set to return to the area.
According to Executive Director and Curator of the Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society & Black Mecca Museum Sam Meredith, the second Field of Honour Chatham Coloured All-Stars Charity Baseball Game will take place on Saturday, September 24 at Fergie Jenkins Field in Chatham.
Meredith said the first pitch is set for 11 a.m. She's recommending that people arrive early and bring lawn chairs in case the grand stand seating fills up.
"We'll be playing two baseball games this year. All the baseball teams will be made up of descendants of the Chatham Coloured All-Stars baseball team throughout the nine seasons they played together," Meredith explained. "The first game will be a 50+ game, we're calling them our golden-agers. Then our new generation game will follow."
The first Chatham Coloured All-Stars Charity game was played in October 2021 and Meredith said that organizers are hoping to make it an annual event.
According to Meredith, last year's game was a big success with over 300 people attending.
"And that was when COVID restrictions were still in place. It was a little difficult last year but we're hoping for a much larger turn out this year," she said.
The game is free to attend. Donations are accepted and all the money raised will go directly to the Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society & Black Mecca Museum.
Meredith said over $6,000 was raised during the game in 2021.
"If you're unable to make a donation that's okay. We want to make sure everybody from the community who wants to honour and celebrate [the team] is able to attend," she said. "That's why we don't do tickets because we don't want to exclude anyone."
Last year's game was set up in hopes of being an extra push to get the 1934 Chatham Coloured All-Stars baseball team inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.
The 1934 Chatham Coloured All-Stars was first formed in 1932 as a group of friends playing baseball in Stirling Park in east Chatham. As an African-Canadian team playing among predominantly white teams in the 1930s, the team was faced with many challenges including discrimination on and off the field, racial taunts, being turned away from hotels, and dealing with threats of violence. The team also played over a decade before Jackie Robinson broke Major Leagues Baseball’s colour barrier in 1947 when he started at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Despite spending several years on the ballot, the goal of being inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame hasn't happened yet. Meredith said organizers are still working on trying to convince the baseball hall of fame to induct the team. However, she said this year's game will be focused on celebrating the team's induction into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame instead.
In May, it was announced that the team will be inducted as one of two teams into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame's new Trailblazers category for the class of 2022. The induction will take place in October.
"[They'll be honoured with] the Order of Sport," Meredith exclaimed. "That's the highest sporting honour given in Canada."
Meredith added that the game will once again also feature a cash-only merchandise tent.
More details on the event can be found on the museum's Facebook page or website.