Please read the important message from our Acting President, Joel Ainsworth.
Dear Sarnia Brigade Family,
I am sending this letter regarding our plan to host a Sarnia Brigade Family Day at Errol Russell ballpark on Saturday, July 8th, (July 9th rain date). Please don't book anything for your team between noon and 6 pm during this weekend as we want your team available to participate in, and experience this opportunity.
This event will be a fun day for all of the minor baseball teams within the organization which will be headlined by a showcase game between our Sr. Brigade and 22U Brigade at 3 p.m. The idea is to pack the park, with current Brigade players along with Braves alumni, to create a fun atmosphere for everyone who attends to celebrate our rich Sarnia Braves history, current Brigade players and the great game of baseball that we all love so much! There will be activities for the kids between noon and 3 p.m., including wiffleball, skills contests and other activities that will continue during the game to keep the kids active. This day will also highlight our top level talent that we have within the organization, and will be a memorable day for all of those in attendance.
Some background information for how this event came to be; Ian Brydges, a long-time supporter of the organization, both player and coach, recently passed away of cancer in January. While Ian was in the hospital battling cancer, he came up with the idea of The Brigade Family Day. He planned out this day in hopes of making it to the event but unfortunately was unable to beat his illness. This day is being strategically planned out to fulfill Ian's last wish and his wishes are that as many past and present Braves/Brigade members as possible be in attendance to share this special day as a whole organization. Coaches are asked to plan accordingly at their upcoming league scheduling meetings. Understandably one team already has a tournament booked for this weekend but we would greatly appreciate all the other teams to avoid scheduling anything during July 8th and 9th (noon-6 p.m.) to participate in the first-ever Sarnia Brigade Family Day.
This event will also act as a fundraiser for our inaugural 22u Brigade team which Ian's sons are both members of (coach and player). Kids will get free access to the park, while adults will be charged a small fee of $4.00 at the gate. Prizes will be given away every inning, highlighted by a TV and 2 season tickets to the Sarnia Sting next season. Prize tickets will be sold for $5 or 3 tickets for $10. There will be a pop-up hall of fame showcasing the rich history of Sarnia baseball. Food will also be sold to raise money for the entire of the organization.
This is a basic rundown of the event, we hope this day can be a great success and we look forward to seeing everyone, Braves Alumni and current Brigade members/ supporters at this highly anticipated event. Everyone is welcome to attend as we want as many people there as possible to show support. There will be further notices regarding this event on our organization website, as well as a community wide media release in coming weeks. In the meantime coaches are asked to share this email with their teams and spread the word to help this event be a success. Again, further information will be presented closer to the date, stay tuned.
Go Brigade!
Joel Ainsworth
Acting President
Sarnia Brigade Minor Baseball