GRAVETTE — Grand opening of the new Gravette High School ball field complex will be held at 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 5, according to an announcement by GHS athletic director Norman Mitchell.
The ceremony will be held at the baseball field, which is located just west of the fieldhouse, adjacent to the companion softball field.
The public is invited to attend the ceremony which will include playing of the National Anthem and the Lion “Fight Song” by the GHS band. Personnel and organizations who were major contributors to the construction of the project will be recognized.
Among those to be recognized are the engineering firm Crafton-Tull, Nabholz construction firm, the Bank of Gravett, Arvest Bank and members of theschool board Phase II project committee.
Immediately following the ceremony and warmup for the stadium’s first game, which pits the Lions against the Huntsville Eagles, Federal Judge Jimm Hendren will toss out the first ceremonial pitch.
Hendren is a native ofGravette and graduated from GHS as valedictorian of his class in 1958. He excelled in all sports and was scouted by the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals, with whom he eventually signed. He attended spring training with the club in Daytona Beach and playedwith the chain two years before returning to the U of A and his subsequent career in law.
Work on the field is continuing in preparation for the opening game ceremony. In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be rescheduled, Mitchell said.
News, Pages 5 on 02/27/2013