Play ball!
Back in the 1950s and 1960s, Bailey Park in Uniontown was the place to be for young baseball players.
There were hundreds of players of all ages participating on a variety of teams in a number of leagues. The place was full, not only of players but coaches, umpires, parents, siblings and others who just wanted to see some good baseball.
The players and parents came from every part of the area, bringing the entire community together in a spirit of camaraderie and good sportsmanship. The leagues were particularly helpful in keeping local youngsters off the streets in the summer and providing them with a positive experience both in terms of playing baseball and being part of a team.
The park truly was a gem for the city of Uniontown and without a doubt led to the success of local high school teams in other sports. For many tremendous athletes, Bailey Park was where it all started.
Over the years, the number of players and games dropped at Bailey Park as neighboring communities started their own youth baseball leagues.
Things took a turn for the better in the 1990s, though, and even as recently as 15 years ago, the park still featured a full slate of games from morning to night.
But, eventually, there was a drop off in participation and for the past several years there have been no games at all being played there. It was a situation that would have been unthinkable back in the 1950s and 1960s, or even the 1990s.
Baseball could be back at Bailey Park, however, thanks to Uniontown City Council restarting its recreation board and an agreement whereby the Uniontown Area School District will provide maintenance for the fields at Bailey Park.
The hope is that the members of the recreation board will be able to give their full attention to sprucing up the city’s parks and playgrounds, with a special focus on rejuvenating the baseball leagues at Bailey Park.
Since the school district will be providing regular maintenance for the fields at Bailey Park, more youngsters should be encouraged to play there.
Uniontown Mayor Bernie Kasievich, councilman Joby Palumbo, who heads the city’s parks and recreation department, the Uniontown Area School District and recreation board members Elliot Galand, Pam Neal, Don Regula, Trevor Waligura, Erica Engle, Zack Sipe, Gregg Pikulsky, Angela Braun and Donald Miller all deserve credit for stepping up to the plate. But they won’t be able to turn the park around by themselves. They will need the help of parents, in particular, but also that of volunteers to help coach the players and do all the other things necessary for a successful youth baseball league.
The turnaround won’t be easy, but with the new recreation board on the job and a successful partnership between the city and the school district, the outlook for Bailey Park is certainly a lot brighter than it has been for a number of years.
“Build it and they will come,” was the signature quote from the famous 1989 baseball movie “Field of Dreams.” In fact, the field in the movie is still in use today and has become a tourist attraction, hosting thousands of visitors every summer. The quote may have been just something from a movie, but it came true in Iowa, and there’s no reason it can’t come true in Uniontown.