For the third year in a row, members of the community are being invited to come together to celebrate the legacy of the Chatham Coloured All-Stars and Black baseball in Canada with 'The Field of Honour' charity baseball game.
"This year, the event remains to honour all the players, coaches, team secretaries, scorekeepers, etc. throughout the All-Stars time together," Samantha Meredith, Executive Director and Curator of the Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society and Black Mecca Museum said. "We've even added a few more players to our lists this year after further research from partners and more discoveries. That's the best part of history you can always continue to find out new things and add to the story."
The event, which started in 2021, is a fundraiser for the historical society and museum -- a non-profit organization whose mission is to archive and share the story of Chatham's Black community.
Meredith said that while the focus of the event remains the Chatham Coloured All-Stars team, the fundraising does allow the Historical Society and Museum to continue to preserving the team's legacy.
She said some of the funds will also go to continue the education and sharing of the Chatham Coloured All-Stars story with visitors to the museum, community group presentations, and visits to classrooms.
"With the support last year we've been able to provide each school in the Lambton Kent District School Board and St. Clair Catholic District School Board with a set of All-Star comics for teachers and educators to access from their school's library," Meredith said. "We are hoping to continue this effort into other school districts after this year's event too."
Descendants of early Black baseball players in Chatham-Kent will go up against one another in a friendly day of competition at Fergie Jenkins Field at Rotary Park in Chatham with three games taking place.
The Golden Agers game will kick things off, with the first pitch coming after the opening ceremonies at 10:30 a.m.
That will be followed by the youth game and then the New Generation game.
Seating is first-come first-served and lawn chairs are suggested as the grandstands could fill up quickly.
Entrance is by donation and any cheques should be made out to the CK Black Historical Society.
Fans will also be able to purchase All-Star merchandise on the day.