Owego Little League opens its 60th season Saturday with a parade, opening day ceremonies at Nick Raftis Memorial Field, and 14 games at Hyde Park.
President Ken Winters invites OLL alumni to march in the parade or visit one of Hyde Park’s five diamonds during the day.
Parade Marshal John Loftus will start the parade at 8:30AM.
The start will be at the Owego Police Station on Temple Street and then to North Avenue, George Street, and Hyde Park.
Along the route the 300 players will tip their baseball caps in thanks to motorists waiting for them to pass at intersections.
Opening Day Ceremonies will be hosted by Director Jim Raftis include the 44th raising of the American and POW/MIA flags presented by the Elks and Vietnam Veterans of America and VFW Post 1371.
The veterans honor guard will be led from the pitcher’s mound to the flagpole by a bag pipe salute to remember 9/11.
Owego Elementary Fourth Grade students will sing the National Anthem preceded by OES Second Graders singing Take Me Out To The Ball Game.
They are led by OES Second Grade Teacher Suzanne Peacock.
The Rev. G. Terry Steenburg, pastor of the Owego Historic First Baptist Church and just back from a teaching and preaching visit to Tanzania, will deliver the invocation. OLL will remember Past President and Director Mike Slavetskas.
President Ken Winters will give the welcome, introduce his volunteer staff, officers and directors and present two Special Appreciation Awards.
Director Rich Ives will hand out the prestigious Dick Horton ‘I Do It For The Kids’ awards.
Ceremonial First Pitches coordinated by VP Softball Mark Warfle and VPs Baseball Debi Schmidt and Chris Rieg open Girls Softball American and National, Little League Tee Ball, Modified, American and National Leagues.
Community leaders umpire. Umpire-in-Chief Jim Medovich welcomes new umpires.
OLL will congratulate two 30-plus year volunteers, President Ken Winters and Attorney Jim Franz, who will join four other OLL volunteers, Dick Franz, Jim Raftis, Tom Beauter and Jim Beauter in the Owego Free Academy Wall of Fame.
Fourteen games are scheduled to be played throughout the day.
OLL will welcome Interleague teams from Tioga, Waverly, Candor, Spencer Van Etten, Newark Valley, Apalachin and Nichols.
