Fans of the Thunder Bay Border Cats will have a lot to look forward to next month when Port Arthur Stadium puts on its 75th anniversary game.
On July 14, as the Border Cats welcome the La Crosse Loggers, the stadium will be putting on an extra-special game for the fans.
A lineup of former athletes who played baseball, football, soccer, and more will be making an appearance at the game.
Border Cats Vice President and General Manager Bryan Graham says the stadium has seen many pro athletes on the field over its long history.
“We’ve had over 420 players in the Northwoods League reach the major leagues. We’ve had 15 former Border Cats that played on this field reach the major leagues,” he says.
Graham hopes the event will “honour and acknowledge the athletes that played here — not only baseball, but football, soccer and track and field.”
The 75th anniversary game will also feature stadium trivia, commemorative T-shirts as prizes, and fireworks after the game.
“It’s just going to be a real night to celebrate the ballpark for what it’s been to the community for the past 75 years, to look back and also look forward,” Graham adds.
Port Arthur Stadium has made many memories for City Councillor Albert Aiello, who worked there for his first-ever job as a scorekeeper at about 10-years-old.
“The Labour Day tournament was a highlight of our summer. I know the Italian community really rallied around that tournament,” the councillor remarks. “It brings nothing but smiles to my face when I think about that.”
Diane Imrie, the Executive Director of the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame, says the stadium was desired by the residents of Port Arthur since the 1930’s, and was almost built in the 1940’s until the Second World War put the idea on the backburner for nearly a decade.
It was finally completed it 1951, the same year as the Fort William Gardens.
She says researching history is “the joy I have in my job.”
Beyond sports, Imrie says the stadium has also served as a cultural gathering space for the city, including for concerts and even festivals put on by the city’s Finnish community.
“It’s a gathering place, and that’s what’s important in every community: to have facilities for sport and for cultural activities, and for people to gather,” she says.
The first pitch of the commemorative 75th anniversary game will be at 7:05 p.m. on July 14, with opening ceremonies beginning at 6:30 p.m.
