WSA to hold field dedication ceremony
<p>Alvin Amundson delivers a speech at WSA's Oktoberfest shortly after he announced his intention to aid the WSA in their fundraising efforts.</p>
PLAINS – The Wildhorse Sports Association Sports Complex will hold a dedication ceremony for its two new baseball fields on the morning of Plains Day, this coming Saturday.
The dedication ceremony will begin at 8:45 a.m. on Saturday, June 7, kicking off weekend tournaments for local Babe Ruth and Majors teams.
The dedication will feature a ceremonial first pitch by Alvin Amundson.
Amundson donated his home in Plains to the Wildhorse Sports Association, who used the proceeds from the house’s sale to raise a substantial amount of funds for the new complex.
Erika Lawyer, a board member for WSA, noted how thankful the organization was for Amundson’s donation.
“We would not be anywhere near where we our today without his generous donation,” Lawyer said.
In addition to the first pitch, the dedication ceremony will also feature the VFW color guard and a benediction before the youth baseball tournaments get under way.
The tournament itself is a two-day event featuring teams from Plains, Thompson Falls, Noxon, Superior, Mission, Polson and Ronan.
There will also be food and raffle tickets for those in attendance at the baseball games.
“There will be food vendors on site throughout the day, raffle ticket sales and 50/50 drawings,” said Kim Bergstrom, WSA board member.
Bergstrom added the prize drawings would be held prior to the Babe Ruth Championship game.
In the coming year the sports complex will continue to expand.
“There are three more fields in the works,” Bergstrom said.
The WSA, a local non-profit group working to build a multi-use outdoor sports area over the past few years, plans on adding a softball field, a little league baseball field, 60 feet between bases as opposed to the standard 90 feet, and a regulation soccer field.
Lawyer pointed out the Plains community had been working on adding athletic fields in town for quite a while, and until recently land was not available to make that happen.
However, thanks to Amundson’s generous efforts and the relocation of the county airport in Plains, the sport’s association received the land and funds they needed to give local kids a chance to partake in several different sports.
The association is made up of Plains community members, who have worked over the past few years to bring this new sports facility to the people of Sanders County.
The complex is located on 27 acres of county land, leased to the WSA, and has already become popular venues with Babe Ruth coaches and athletes in the area.
Future plans for the sports complex also include a concession stand, changing rooms, and a new bathroom facility.
Lawyer was very appreciative to the community support and volunteers who made the idea of the complex a reality.
Bergstrom also appreciated the effort involved with getting the project off the ground, recognizing the fundraising efforts and grant money that allowed the WSA to develop the land.
The brand new WSA complex will serve as an excellent backdrop to the Babe Ruth Championship and will be a wonderful spot for the Plains Pirates of the Majors to wrap up their successful season.