Little League Baseball

This is the week for the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. South Williamsport is my hometown.  Last year Chuck and I were back in South Williamsport for my class reunion. We visited the field and the museum for Little League. Chuck had never been there so it was a lot of fun showing him around.

When I was a young girl, in the late 40′s and early 50′s, it was a great place to be when all of the teams and young boys came to town. Years ago the field was located across the bridge in Williamsport. That first diamond, situated behind a minor league park known as Bowman Field, was initially used for softball.  We had to sit on the dike to watch the games. My Uncle Lewis Browne  was one of the first umpires for the Little League players. The first Little League game took place on June 6, 1939. Lundy Lumber defeated Lycoming Dairy 23-8.  Little League Baseball grew from three teams in this Pennsylvania town to an international organization of nearly 200,000 teams in every U.S. state and over 80 countries all around the world.

This is a picture of the Howard J. Lamade field as it looks today. You can see the mountains surrounding the city. The view from the field is outstanding. August is a great time to visit Williamsport. The league headquarters are located in South Williamsport, directly across the Susquehanna River from the site of the original league.  The Little League International Complex facility hosts the Little League World Series at Howard J. Lamade Stadium and Little League Volunteer Stadium. It is also the site of the Little League Museum, which provides a history of Little League Baseball through films,interactive games and displays.

This is a picture of International Grove where all of the teams stay for the nearly two weeks during the World Series. There is an outdoor and indoor pool for recreation, a cafeteria and dining hall and a medical facility as well as dorms for the young boys. It is a beautiful setting among the trees. All the teams participating in the series receive room and board for free at the Little League International complex. Each of the 16 teams from around the globe in the Little League Baseball World Series are also provided transportation to Williamsport and back home at no charge.  If you love baseball this is great fun to watch these young boys play ball and a wonderful place to visit. There is great recreation on the river all summer and beautiful scenery to enjoy. If you are a hiker, there are great trails nearby and a museum that provides the history of the lumbering era in Williamsport. We also boast of “millionaires row”where you can see all of the wonderful homes that were built during the “1800′s by the dozens of wealthy lumber barons. Williamsport is filled with history.

Enjoy!

Gayle