Watermelon, Mosquitos, and Baseball
I recently wrote a blog about the Jim Catfish Hunter Museum being in this county. That might have been a clue that this county loves baseball, even Yankee baseball. Here in Chowan County, NC, the local team is the Steamers. Think clams, not engines. This is their 21st season as a member of the Coastal Plain League. The Coastal Plain League teams are made up of college players on break from their college season. This is an opportunity to play their game using wooden bats rather than aluminum, and an opportunity for big league scouts to watch them do that.
I’m so excited to be going to a baseball game. It’s really close by, not a road trip. If you’ve followed my blogs about Edenton, you won’t be surprised to learn that they play at a Historic field. But you might be surprised to learn that you can still go to a baseball game for five bucks!
Hicks Field was a WPA Project in 1939. A wooden grandstand with a roof, which seated around 500, was home to several minor and semi pro teams until 1952. During the 1940s it was the spring training site for a number of minor league teams. It was remodeled in 1997 adding new grandstands to seat 1200, bathrooms, and a manual scoreboard for a nostalgic Fenway Park feel. It was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995 and is the oldest remaining wooden grandstand in North Carolina. I can’t wait to be there!
Years ago, in Atlanta our family was wild about the Braves. We went to special nights at the ball park and bought bleacher seat tickets. The kids could get supper and a drink for five dollars. Until they couldn’t. Until the Braves built a new stadium that had to be paid for, and a family of nine – or twelve at any given time – could no longer afford a night out with the Braves. So, we had game nights at home in front of the TV cheering for Smoltz and Chipper Jones and made our own popcorn. Not the same.
Everyone needs a team! I’m going to get a cap with the Steamer clam on it and become an official fan. I’ll swat mosquitos, while watermelon drips down my neck. What the heck, it’s summer!