LEWISBURG — To celebrate its upcoming bicentennial, the Village of Lewisburg held a vintage baseball game on Saturday, May 19.
The village is holding monthly events during this bicentennial year. Past events so far have included: an Abe Lincoln impersonator, a euchre tournament, and the Bicentennial Tea.
According to Diane Trittschuh, Bicentennial Historic Encampments and Reenactment Chairperson, even with the threat of rain, approximately 150 t0 200 spectators attended the game and stayed during the occasional downpours.
She added, “It was a huge success. The event was something different that all ages enjoyed. Numerous attendees commented on how much they enjoyed the teams, the game and that they had a lot of fun. After the game, the Clodbusters invited the children to participate in a children’sbase ball game. The children batted and the Clodbusters fielded.’
“The game was provided to the public free of charge with funds raised from sales at the Lewisburg Bicentennial Store, holding Fifty-Fifty raffles, and donations from business and individuals. All of our monthly events and our three day Bicentennial Event being held September 7, 8 and 9, 2018 are provided to the public free of charge,” she said.
The teams which played were the Dayton Clodbusters Base Ball Club and the Cincinnati Blackbottom Nine Vintage Base Ball Club. The Dayton Clodbusters were formed in 1989 and are based out of Carillon Historical Park. The Blackbottom Nine were formed in 2009 and are based out of Dori Field in Norwood.
According to Trittschuh, the teams play by official rules established in the 1860s (no glove, underhand pitch, etc.) and pay strict attention to old-fashioned laws of sportsmanship and family fun. They dress in 1860s era uniforms.
At that time, the game was spelled “Base Ball” as two separate words. They play with the highest standards of sportsmanship and gentlemanly behavior. Their equipment is made to the standards of the period. They utilize the rules, customs and terminology of base ball’s earliest days.
“Both teams commented the game was a big success and it was a fun crowd. The teams enjoyed themselves. They were pleased with the number of attendees and the setting. The Bicentennial Committee provided a pizza party for both teams after the game and presented each player with a Lewisburg Bicentennial Commemorative coin and custom made baseball and bat cookies,” Trittschuh said.
“The Bicentennial Committee worked on planning this event for two years. The base ball teams have a busy schedule so this type of event needs to be planned far in advance. The Village of Lewisburg passed out free water bottles to the spectators with the Lewisburg Bicentennial logo.
“The volunteers who helped with the game were members of the Lewisburg Bicentennial Committee, the TCN Community Association, the Lewisburg Historical Society and the Village of Lewisburg. Our community donated wonderful desserts for the team pizza party.
“Many volunteers dressed in 1800s era clothing which contributed to the vintage atmosphere at the game.We have an extremely supportive and hospitable community.”
The next scheduled bicentennial event is an ice cream social and car show at the TCN Community Center and the Lewisburg Historical Society on Sunday, June 10, at noon.
For more information about the bicentennial events or the Village of Lewisburg, visit www.tcncommunityassociation.com or www.lewisburg.net. Contact the Village of Lewisburg offices at 937-962-4377.
