Shades Mountain Park celebrates 65th anniversary on opening day
Shades Mountain Park celebrated its 65th anniversary today during its opening day for the spring 2023 baseball season.
Young boys toting bats (some as big as them), balls and gloves filled the park, some decked out in face paint. Not only did they get to play their first games of the season; there also were parades of teams at multiple points throughout the day and special guests invited to throw first pitches, including Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato.
Parents, grandparents and siblings filled the stands and filled their phones and cameras with pictures and videos of the young men on the baseball diamonds, and the weather, while chilly for some in the morning, was mostly pleasant throughout the day.
Joe Bain, president of the Shades Mountain Park board of directors this year, said there are at least 650 players in the park’s recreational league this spring, plus about 150 who play in the travel ball league (ages 11 and up).
The park’s board was eager to show off freshly painted buildings and some new signs that were added this year, Bain said. Also, Shades Mountain Park now has affiliated with the United States Specialty Sports Association, which means its post-season team will compete in state, regional and World Series tournaments associated with that organization.