Harrison Bay State Park to host ‘Birth of Baseball’ this Saturday

The “Birth of Baseball,” a free event that combines sport, history, and music, will take place at Harrison Bay State Park this Saturday (March 25), beginning at 10 a.m.

Visitors will experience the evolution of the national pastime from cricket to rounders to base ball (spelled as two words in 1864) and will even have a chance to participate in the cricket and rounders matches. Period music by The Travelling Caudells will set the stage for the games, and concessions will be available from the state park.

The event is coorganized by the Tennessee Association of Vintage Base Ball (TAOVBB), Friends of Harrison Bay State Park, and Tennessee State Parks.

“We hope everyone — families, baseball fans, history buffs — comes out to Harrison Bay State Park to share in this exciting program,” says Jeff “Skeeter” Wells, commissioner of the Tennessee Association of Vintage Base Ball. “It’s a unique opportunity to play, interact, and have fun with historic sports.”

The “Birth of Baseball” will begin at 10 with cricket master James Hamilton leading a participatory game of cricket. At 11 a.m., Ranger Adam Holt will lead the second participatory match, a game of rounders (or town ball).

The event will conclude with the TAOVBB’s two Chattanooga teams — the Lightfoot Vintage Base Ball Club and the Mountain City Vintage Base Ball Club — squaring off in a 1 p.m. match of barehanded 1864 base ball, umpired under the watchful eye of Wells.

The event will be staged in Harrison Bay State Park’s group camp, located on the left a quarter-mile from the park’s entrance off Highway 58.

Event details will be updated on the Friends of Harrison Bay State Park’s Facebook page. For more information about vintage base ball and the Tennessee Association of Vintage Base Ball, please visit tennesseevintagebaseball. com.