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HARTINGTON - It’s been a long wait, but Hartington will finally host the State American Legion baseball tournament.
The 2024 Nebraska Class C Junior American Legion Baseball Tournament will take place at Felber Park July 20-24.
Hartington was selected to host this summer’s extravaganza, which is no small undertaking, but it is an event some locals have been looking forward to for a very long time.
It will be the first time Hartington will be the site of the state baseball tournament, although the community has hosted several Area Tournaments over the years.
Community leaders and baseball supporters have been busy getting the Felber Park Baseball Field ready for the big event for quite some time, now.
“The greatest thing about getting this tournament is it’s great for our baseball program at all ages,” current Post 4 American Legion Baseball manager, Don Whitmire said. “This is a huge undertaking, but the community has really come together to support the event.”
The field itself has been in upgrade mode for the past several years.
“Gary Kuehn has come over from the golf course and he has the grass and the entire complex looking perfect,” Whitmire said. “Another great thing about taking this on is to see all of the support coming seemingly out of nowhere to lend a hand.”
The old bleachers and the concrete seating area down the third baseline have been removed and revamped.
Over 20 loads of dirt were hauled in to install terrace seating in the shade of existing trees. Most baseball fans arrive with his or her own chair, so the terrace seating is ideal and the shade will be welcome in the July heat.
The press box, restrooms, concession stand and even the old storage shed beyond right field have all been given a fresh coat of paint, and work on a second batting cage near the left field fence is nearly complete.
A new scoreboard was installed last summer, the warning track was redone and the fence has been redone, complete with advertising signs for area businesses which have donated to Hartington Baseball to keep all of the baseball programs thriving.
Whitmire hesitated to start naming names of all of the help and support, but did offer Detlefsen Construction, Hartington Tree and Heine Electric for some of the major recent contributors.
“It’s really every one pitching in,” Whitmire said. “The city, the mayor, this great community, it’s really heartwarming to see the community come together for the greater good.
“Step by step it’s starting to come together to get us where we want to be. And we’re doing it all together.”
