Clarence O'Hazzard Memorial Baseball Field
Play Ball!
Small Town Spirit
In 1995 new construction at the school took away the only baseball field Edgeley, North Dakota had. Two American Legion Post members began discussing the possibility of building a new baseball field.
The first step was to find a location large enough to build the new field. After finding the right spot near the edge of town, Jerry Lagodinski approached Clarence O. Hazzard and his wife Wilma, owners of the ideal location, to inquire about purchasing approximately 5 acres of land out of a 16-½ acre parcel. A week later the Hazzards asked Jerry to come back to speak with them. He was told that they felt they could not sell just a portion of that parcel. Before Jerry could speak, Wilma said, "We cannot sell you five acres, but we'll GIVE the you the whole thing."
With the amount of land donated, plans began to get bigger. The possibility of building a complex instead of just one field started to grow. Plans were set into motion. The land had to be cleared and leveled. Area farmers donated the use of their equipment to the volunteers to begin the dirt work. By the end of that first summer, the land was leveled, sloped, drained and "three fields" began to appear - one baseball and two softball fields. A well had to be dug, fencing built, an irrigation system installed, grass seeded, and the dugouts constructed.
A construction company working in Edgeley donated a large temporary storage building they had been using. The building was moved to the complex and work began to remodel the bare shell into a combination of concessions, restrooms, and storage facility.
A canopy over the grand stand facing the baseball field was next. Willowbank Truss Co. at the Willowbank Hutterite Colony designed the rafter setup to also include the press box. They then volunteered their workers and equipment to help construct the canopy. When the canopy was finished, more volunteers assembled the bleachers and the grand stand was finished.
Lighting of the baseball field would cost an estimated $66,000. Lighting seemed very important, but at this point financially impossible. Edgeley was home to a very generous and community-minded man, LaVerne (Splick) Splickan. Splick offered $25,000 to light that field and challenged them to do it with that amount of money. With the community spirit and volunteers, this challenge was met. Splick continued to support this program until the time of his death.
In July 1996, the first game was played at the new Clarence O. Hazzard Memorial Field. As you looked around, you could see the beauty and the serenity of a place built with love and pride.
As the years have gone by, and fans attend games at our facility, we continue to hold our heads high as we amaze them with the story being told over and over of how this facility became a reality. With teamwork, dedication and pride we are now in our 12th season at the Clarence O. Hazzard Memorial Field. The work never stops. Every week of every season, volunteers can be found working, continuing to see that the complex is there for children and adults alike. With every season, more additions and improvements are made.
On July 28, 2001, Edgeley was the host for the 2001 Midwest Plains Regional Babe Ruth Tournament. Six states came into our small town to spend 4-5 days here watching their teams play ball. Again the community pulled together, to find homes to house the players, help with the fields, sell tickets, and work in the concessions. This was a great opportunity to show off Edgeley's true community spirit and hometown pride as we welcomed hundreds of fans, players, and coaches to our city.
And once again the loudspeakers at the Clarence O. Hazzard Memorial Field will ring across the town with those three words, "Let's Play Ball!"