AMBERG, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – A small town in Marinette County celebrated the revitalization of its ball diamond by playing the first game on the field in over a quarter century.
On Wednesday, the 8U Wausaukee Rangers hosted the Coleman-Pound Team 1, marking the newly-refurbished diamond’s first game in more than 25 years.
It all started last fall, when a group got together and proposed the formation of the Amberg Parks and Recreation Committee to the Town Board. As part of the committee, volunteers care for Amberg’s recreational areas and have worked to get the town’s recreation spaces back up and running.
According to organizers, the Amberg Ball Diamond is “an amazing piece of history” dating back to 1984. It took over 1,200 man hours to construct and was built through donations and the hard work of local townspeople.
However, when the town of Amberg closed its local school and its students began attending Wausaukee schools, the Amberg Ball Diamond saw less and less action. It got to the point where the field was no longer used for games, but rather, only once a year for the town’s Fireman’s picnic.
But now, almost exactly 40 years after the diamond was first built, the sound of cracking bats and cheering fans can once again be heard at the Amberg Ball Diamond. The original scoreboard has even been restored to working order.
“Just to see the community come together and see the kids out and playing — whether it just be running around and playing together, but they’re together. All of us are together, and I think that’s what really matters,” said Tilly Wollenberg, secretary of the Amberg Parks and Recreations Committee.
“I have a four-year-old, so to know that she will grow up here and will have tournaments and she can play ball here and spend time with her friends and family, it’s just amazing,” Wollenberg added.
Some of the committee’s additional goals include installing restrooms and a playground at the Amberg Ball Diamond, as well as revitalizing other recreational areas around town.
Comments