The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in St. Marys is prepping for the annual induction weekend festivities.
Director of Operations Scott Crawford says the weekend is always action packed, with loads to do this year starting with an event in Toronto with the inductees on Thursday, June 5, a golf tournament in St. Marys on the Friday, June 6 and induction day on Saturday, June 7.
"The induction ceremony's at 1 p.m. There's 6 great inductees this year. There's things to do all day, there's ball games on the fields, the museum's open, there's food, drinks, a silent auction, and there's an autograph session after the ceremony, so it's 3 great days of baseball," Crawford said excitedly.
The weekend is not only about celebrating the inductees, as Crawford points out that it's also about the history of Canadian baseball and the 3,500 square foot museum, which contains loads of historically significant items and stories.
"We have cool new displays in the museum, from bobbleheads to World Series stuff from the Blue Jays in '92 and '93, and current Canadians in pro ball. We have 32 acres of land here with 4 ball fields, as well, and they go 7 days a week. So any day you come here you'll see kids or teenagers playing ball, and even adults playing slo-pitch in the evenings," added Crawford.
This year has 6 inductees going in, headlined by beloved Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista.
Joining "Joey Bats" is ex-big-league left-hander Érik Bédard (Navan, Ont.) while Canadian Junior National Team head coach Greg Hamilton (Toronto, Ont.) will be inducted in the Coaches/Officials category. Longtime Women’s National Team star Amanda Asay (Prince George, B.C.) will also be inducted, posthumously.
The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s Veterans Committee has also elected former All-American Girls Professional Baseball League legend Arleene Noga (Ogema, Sask.) and Gerry Snyder, the Montreal city councillor who played a crucial role in bringing Major League Baseball to Canada. Noga and Snyder will be inducted posthumously.
Crawford adds that the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame is a national celebration of our country's involvement in the game.
"We have some Jackie Robinson stuff, we have the home plate and batting helmet from Joe Carter's home run, we have Fergie Jenkins' Cy Young Award, we have an autographed Babe Ruth bat. We also have a display on the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. There's always new displays we set up each year, including a current Canadians in pro ball display," Crawford noted.
You can find out more, including how to become a member, and get tickets for all the events at baseballhalloffame.ca.