Base Ball Exhibition & Fair at the Philadelphia Navy Yard the weekend of Sep 15 & 16! FREE EVENT! 14 TEAMS! 2 DAYS!
Matches commence at 10 AM and conclude around 4:30 PM
The PIDC are enthusiastically opening the Navy Yard’s Marine Parade Ground to the Mid-Atlantic Vintage Base Ball League for a two-day Vintage Base Ball Exhibition and Fair the weekend of September 15th and 16th.
ALL fourteen of the League’s Clubs will be in attendance. Join us as we bring "base ball" back to the NAVY YARD (see pic below)!
They are coming from all points on the East Coast – NYC to Virginia, and Central Pennsylvania (Mechanicsburg). Each Club is a “re-formed” team that played from the 1860s forward – when “amateur” meant exceptionally fine play drawing crowds of 20,000+ for Clubs like the Brooklyn Atlantics, the Athletic Base Ball Club of Philadelphia.
That weekend, matches begin at 10am – authentic uniforms, bats, balls, no gloves, play by 1864 rules, with 6-Clubs playing (three simultaneous 1.5-hour Matches) on the Parade Grounds at any given time. Refreshments, food and drink (provided by Franklin Fountain) and interesting mid-19thcentury attractions share the green. Period-style items raffled each day.
The Athletic Base Ball Club of Philadelphia, founded in 2009, by Scott Alberts, is the city’s first vintage base ball club. The Club is also a member of the Mid-Atlantic Vintage Base Ball League (MAVBBL). The Athletic hosted the 19th Century Base Ball Exhibition & Fair for the first time last year and the event was deemed such a success that the Athletic now aims to make it an annual tradition of celebrating America’s favorite pasttime with local fans and the community.
Raid your wardrobe closets to dress in your best mid-19th century finery (optional, but encouraged!) for a saunter through the beautiful Parade Grounds at the Navy Yard. This two-day vintage base ball exposition and tournament is hosted by the Philadelphia Athletic Base Ball Club.
There will be plenty of Vintage Players on hand to regale you with stories, answer rules questions, bring you on board as a new Club player. The League *is* looking for women with game.
Bring blankets, folding chairs, your children, parents, family, friends, neighbors and sweethearts. Free admission.
Bring your greenbacks as there will be plenty of quality local fare all day: The Franklin Fountain will be serving hot dogs, fresh fruit and historical ice creams & sorbets. To whet that whistle will be old-fashioned root beer & soda waters, historic Mountain Valley spring waters and chilled local beers upon draught. Prosit!
Come down to the Navy Yard -- see Clubs who last pitched and fielded 140-years ago.
List of Matches
Saturday, September 15
10 AM
- Catto Field: Flemington Neshanock B.B.C. vs Eclipse B.B.C. of Elkton
- Hayhurst Field: Athletic B.B.C. of Philadelphia vs The Mechanisburg Nine
- Fitzgerald Field: Elizabeth Resolute B.B.C. vs Hoboken
NOON
- Catto Field: Flemington Neshanock B.B.C. vs Chesapeake & Potomac B.B.C.
- Hayhurst Field: Lewes B.B.C. vs Atlantic B.B.C. of Brooklyn
- Fitzgerald Field: The Mechanisburg Nine vs Mutual B.B.C. of New York
2 PM
- Catto Field: Elizabeth Resolute B.B.C. vs Excelsior B.B.C. of Arundel
- Hayhurst Field: Athletic B.B.C. of Philadelphia vs Hoboken
- Fitzgerald Field: Eclipse B.B.C. of Elkton vs New York Gotham B.B.C.
4 PM
- Catto Field: Lewes B.B.C. vs Excelsior B.B.C. of Arundel
- Hayhurst Field: New York Gotham B.B.C. vs Mutual B.B.C. of New York
- Fitzgerald Field: Atlantic B.B.C. of Brooklyn vs Chesapeake & Potomac B.B.C.
Sunday, September 16
10 AM
- Catto Field: Chesapeake & Potomac B.B.C. vs The Mechanisburg Nine
- Hayhurst Field: Excelsior B.B.C. of Arundel vs Lewes B.B.C.
- Fitzgerald Field: Diamond State B.B.C. of Delaware vs New York Gotham B.B.C.
NOON
- Catto Field: Fairplays B.B.C. of Talbot County vs The Mechanisburg Nine
- Hayhurst Field: Athletic B.B.C. of Philadelphia vs Lewes B.B.C.
- Fitzgerald Field: Cecil B.B.C. of Cheseapeake City vs Mutual B.B.C. of New York
2 PM
- Catto Field: Chesapeake & Potomac B.B.C. vs New York Gotham B.B.C.
- Hayhurst Field: Excelsior B.B.C. of Arundel vs Diamond State B.B.C. of Delaware
- Fitzgerald Field: Mutual B.B.C. of New York vs Fairplays B.B.C. of Talbot County
4 PM
- Catto Field: ---
- Hayhurst Field: Athletic B.B.C. of Philadelphia vs Cecil B.B.C. of Cheseapeake City
- Fitzgerald Field: -----------------
Location (plenty of free parking tell guard you are here for BASEBALL!)
The Navy Yard at the Marine Parade Grounds (click for Google map)
We'd like to thank our event sponsors, without whom, this event could not have occurred:
