Brooks Robinson Kicks off Lamar Porter Field Project June 15

 

Little Rock – Little Rock native Brooks Robinson, who was inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983, returns to his hometown on Saturday, June 15, to lead the birthday festivities for the field where he first honed his playing skills.

Here is a feature on Brooks Robinson and Lamar Porter Field from Rex Nelson.

Gates will open at 4:00pm.  There will be two RBI baseball games beginning at 4:15 pm.  At the midpoint between games, promptly at 5:30 pm, there will be a first pitch ceremony to honor Brooks Robinson and his contribution of supporting the Lamar Porter revitalization efforts.  Notable dignitaries confirmed as of June 11 will include U.S. Representative Tim Griffin, Little Rock Mayor, Mark Stodola, State Senator David Johnson, State Representative Warwick Sabin and City Director Stacy Hurst along with Brooks Robinson.

Attendees are strongly recommended to arrive early.  Parking for the event will be available at the UAMS Lot 6 located at 5th and South Pine.  A shuttle service will be provided.  Refer to http://www.uams.edu/parking/parkingmaps.htm for directions to the assigned parking facility.

Lamar Porter Field, at the corner of 7th and Johnson Streets in the Stifft Station neighborhood, will mark its 77th year, making it the oldest actively-used baseball stadium in the state of Arkansas.  The complex also includes the Billy Mitchell Boys and Girls Club.

Robinson, who played his entire 23-year major league career with the Baltimore Orioles, will help kick off a multi-million dollar effort to restore the facilities and grounds to better serve the city’s youth.

Tickets are $10 each and are available at Sportstop (10720 Rodney Parham Road). Each ticket includes admission to the event, a hot dog, soft drink and popcorn.  Robinson will be available to sign autographs after the first pitch ceremony.  All proceeds will benefit the campaign to restore the Lamar Porter Field and complex.

For more information, please visit www.lamarportercomplex.com or contact Holt McConnell at 501-951-4466.

About Lamar Porter Complex Revitalization Committee

Lamar Porter Athletic Field & Stadium was completed in 1937 by the WPA and is currently Arkansas’ oldest baseball stadium still in use.  The land was donated by the family of Lamar Porter to provide green space and recreation for the children of Little Rock.   77 years later, the need is still there, but Lamar Porter has suffered from years of neglect.  Lamar Porter Field serves as the home field for two high school baseball programs as well as the Boys and Girls Club’s RBI (Reviving Baseball in the Inner City) program.

The Lamar Porter Complex Revitalization Committee was established by the Boys and Girls Club of Central Arkansas in conjunction with the Trustees of Lamar Porter to unite the neighborhood, present and former players and patrons, government entities, private organizations and caring individuals to raise funds necessary to return the Lamar Porter Complex to the status it once held as a first class recreational facility serving youth and their families across the State of Arkansas.  The goals of the project are to completely restore the grounds.

The budget for the complete renovation is approximately $4.5 million.

More information can be found at www.lamarportercomplex.com and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/lamarportercomplex.

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