The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum (CBHFM) is a registered charitable organization located in historic St. Marys, Ontario. While national in scope, we are totally community-oriented. To begin with, it was a group of towns people who ventured to Toronto and won a tender over 12 other cities bidding to become the Hall’s new home, after it was deemed to be too small a fish in too big a pond in Toronto. Then, the St. Marys Cement Company donated a 32-acre parcel of land to us. We converted a century-old farmhouse into the current museum, and developed the abandoned gravel pit into a magnificent three-diamond baseball/softball complex where boys and girls and men and women play every night, baseball and softball and slo-pitch. We host grass roots baseball nightly, but have also hosted Team Canada men and women’s national teams. Our complex is so beautiful, that most teams in the Western Ontario Baseball Association (WOBA) that play against St. Marys prefer to play both games of the schedule in St. Marys versus the traditional “home-and-home” format. Baseball registrations in St. Marys have increased each of the eight years we have been in existence here, and last year, after NEVER having won a WOBA Championship, St Marys won the WOBA title in the Bantam, Pee Wee and Mosquito divisions. Our diamond-usage is maximized, so this past year, the community raised $92,000 to install lights on one of our fields, adding 14 new time slots each evening. Already, we are full again! In addition to our local hosting, we also conduct the “KIDS ON DECK” aimed for at-risk boys and girls who, for any number of reasons, cannot afford this type of opportunity. In addition to teaching baseball FUNdamentals, we also use baseball as a medium to teach these children, along with the mainstream kids who have signed up, that perceived barriers such as race, religion, gender, border and language are truly irrelevant in the game of life. Of course, our biggest highlight of the year is our annual Induction Ceremony. This year, Larry Walker, Ernie Whitt, Bernie Soulliere (a grass roots contributor) and Doc Miller will be honoured. It is a weekend celebration that cannot be topped, and our entire population of six thousand residents is engaged. The Hall of Fame is run by two full-time staff persons, and 150 volunteers. We have been manually watering the site for the past decade, but with the traffic on the fields, the new legislation banning pesticides, and the wearing out of our volunteers, we desperately need an automated irrigation system. Thank you for you consideration.
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COMMENTS (177)
06/15/09
Cooperstown took more than 40 years to become what it is today. Closer to home, just 15 minutes up the road from St. Marys, Tom Patterson pursued his obsession about a theatre festival in his hometown of Stratford more than a half-century ago, giving birth to the Stratford Festival of Canada in 1953. Today, the Stratford Shakespeare Festival attracts more than 600,000 people annually to its four glorious theatres. Please support St. Marys pursuit of our dream to honour Canada's 170+ years of rich baseball heritage and to become a true destination for Canadians.
07/02/09
Go Tom Go. Hope to see the Stonetown hosting SC!
07/03/09
As you walk towards the diamonds from the Museum you could never guess the beauty that awaits you. As you reach the benches and trees that overlook the green grass and manicured diamonds I remembered my youth spent playing Little League and watching the Detroit Tigers in ol' Tiger Stadium. The first time I saw the fields I wanted to put on my Little League uniform and play a doubleheader out there. The 3 fields carefully carved out and expertly manicured are a work of art.
07/04/09
This museum and baseball diamond complex is a work of art and is our Cooperstown of the north. Canada is producing so many MLB stars that this hall will be filled for all generations to come. Tom and his staff have a real passion for the grand ole' game and we are blessed to have him.
07/05/09
Great place to watch a ball game.