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Diamonds ready to field players

Get out the peanuts and crackerjacks, there’s a new ballpark opening this weekend. The first pitch will be thrown at two new baseball diamonds at the Seaman Sports Park, located west of the Millarville Race Track.
The two Seaman Sports Park ball diamonds are located along Highway 549, near Millarville.
The two Seaman Sports Park ball diamonds are located along Highway 549, near Millarville.

Get out the peanuts and crackerjacks, there’s a new ballpark opening this weekend.

The first pitch will be thrown at two new baseball diamonds at the Seaman Sports Park, located west of the Millarville Race Track.

After three years of construction, the park’s first phase includes two baseball diamonds and a parking lot, with possible future expansion to include more ball fields, soccer pitches and skating rinks.

In 2010, the MD of Foothills and the Northwest Foothills Recreation Board purchased 30 acres of land to develop recreation facilities to serve the north end of the region.

Steve Fisher, chairman of the recreation board, said there is very little available for sports venues in the Millarville-Priddis-DeWinton area without the new park.

“These three divisions have had just two ball diamonds and two outdoor rinks, at Priddis and Millarville,” said Fisher. “That was not sufficient for all the kids and families out here involved in sports.”

With a long family history of investing in recreation and community – his great-grandfather built the former Millarville Rancher’s, which now sits at Heritage Park – Fisher said creating a sports park is adding to the community feel of the area.

“Especially these days, we get a little isolated at home,” said Fisher. “So this is a way of getting people out and meeting each other again, while they’re playing the sports, cheering on teams, coaching, things like that.”

A lot of work has been done by volunteers and there have been many financial donations from businesses and individuals, he said, which also helps to bring the community together.

To date, the MD has invested more than $900,000 in the sports park, including the purchase of the land. The ball diamonds cost $270,000.

A major donation of $250,000 was received from the Calgary Foundation through the Doc Seaman Flow Through Fund, the Millarville Sports Association donated $50,000, the Scott Daniel Seaman Memorial Fund contributed $35,000, and there has also been close to $100,000 in donations from the Seaman family and community members.

Depending on funds received in the coming year, bleachers and dugouts will be added to the diamonds to complete the first phase of the park.

Damon Grover, chair of the Millarville Sports Association, said the Seaman Sports Park is a sound investment for the region.

“We have a very active sports community in Millarville,” said Grover. “A lot of the kids are playing hockey in our pond hockey league in the winter and then baseball in the spring and summer.”

He said the Association is looking forward to the opening of two new diamonds to accommodate the 70 ball players registered in league play this spring. Their only full-sized diamond, located at the Millarville Racetrack, was washed out in the 2013 flood, and they haven’t had a proper field to play on since, he said.

For the past three years, teams have played on the smaller diamond at Millarville School. It does not accommodate older players, who often hit the ball out of bounds and up steep embankments in the outfield, which can cause safety concerns, he said.

He said in the past, some opposing teams wouldn’t come out to games scheduled in Millarville because of the diamond.

“It’s been a long time coming for these ball diamonds, so it’s very exciting,” said Grover.

To add to the excitement, MD agricultural fieldman Jeff Porter said he brought in special grass to sow the fields – the same mix used at Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox.

“We interseeded it with other native grass mix we usually use,” said Porter. “But the kids can say they have the opportunity to play on a field with the same grass as Fenway Park.”

Seaman Sports Park will officially open on April 30. A ball tournament with more than 150 players will run all day, with a grand opening ceremony beginning at noon.

The tournament will host teams from within the league Millarville plays in, including Nanton, Priddis, Black Diamond and High River.

“It’s going to be a great day and a great opportunity for these teams, who have been using the fields, to get out and give them a test run,” said MD Coun. Jason Parker.

He said the opening will feature delegates from the area including council and association members, food trucks and lots of ball.

“There are also some surprise guests attending, which will be very exciting,” said Parker.

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