Venue added for Vintage Base Ball in 2017
The Tennessee Association of Vintage Base Ball announces changes to the 2017 schedule to include four dates that will be played at the Chattanooga RiverPark in addition to the five dates played on the Polo Field in Fort Oglethorpe.
Vintage Base Ball features the national pastime, as it was played in the 1860s and has for the past two years played exclusively on the Polo Field in Fort Oglethorpe.
The first match will be a doubleheader played at the maintenance field off Amnicola Highway on Saturday, May 6. At noon the Emmett Machinists will travel from Knoxville to take on the local Lightfoot Club in the first match. The Highland Rim Distillers from Franklin, Tenn., will take on the other local club, Mountain City, at 2:30 pm.
The Polo Field at Fort Oglethorpe will host a double-header on June 3, July 15 will be the 6th Cavalry Cup Championship between the two local clubs and double-headers will be played again on August 12 and August 26.
The museum offers Free Museum Saturday for Vintage Base Ball matches played on the polo field and has convenient parking and restrooms available. Vintage Base Ball is always free to attend and open to the public. Matches are played in open fields so there is no bleacher seating. Spectators are reminded to bring lawn chairs or blankets.
Since its inaugural season in 2013, the Tennessee Association of Vintage Base Ball has grown to include 12 vintage base ball clubs in Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga. As revived iterations of Tennessee’s historic base ball teams, TAOVBB member clubs combine living history with sport, organizing barehanded, Civil War-era base ball games to educate and entertain their communities. TAOVBB ballists, or base ball players, adhere to rules and customs of 1864, wearing periodappropriate uniforms and using historically-correct equipment. All regular season matches of the TAOVBB are free and open to the public. The TAOVBB is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization supported by donations and organized by dedicated volunteers.
To learn more about Vintage Base Ball visit www. tennesseevintagebaseball. com. For local information visit www.6thcavalrymuseum.com or call 706-861-2860.