After a nearly decade-long volunteer-led reconstruction, Yellowknife’s Tommy Forrest Ball Park is ready for its close-up.
The Yellowknife Fastball League, in partnership with Yellowknife Minor Fastball, are proud to co-host the grand re-opening of Tommy Forrest Ball Park on Thursday, June 23. Festivities will begin at 5:30 p.m.
The grand re-opening will serve as the culmination of a process driven by and executed by the two non-profit associations, in coordination with the support of the City of Yellowknife and dozens of local small businesses.
Several years earlier, the park had fallen into severe disrepair. In its earlier days, the park saw hundreds of locals for regular season games, which included a 1974 national championship for the Yellowknife Junior Merchants, the territory’s first national championship in any sport.
Today, the field has been completely redone – with only the fence around the ballpark remaining from its initial iteration. Included in the new amenities are a playground and mural recognizing the history of fastball from artist Terry Pamplin, making the park a true community centrepiece.
Volunteer fundraising totalling over $500,000 and grants from the City of Yellowknife totalling over $200,000 drove this project, along with hundreds and hundreds of volunteer hours from the city’s fastball league and friends.
