Tood's Town VI
There is a Cairo Memorial Park. It is located about 200 yards west of the B&O railroad tracks and about 200 yards north of Main Street.
The Park is a triangular piece of land located at the east end of the Gudekunst farm and bounded on the east by the B&O railroad. It has a lighted baseball field, parking area, a shelter house, a small concession stand with an announcer's booth located above, and a swing set for children.
The baseball field was well maintained by volunteer members of the Cairo Recreation. A small farm tractor dragging a 10 foot length of chain link fence was used to level the bare infield. The outfield was grass and the entire field was generally level with no gopher holes or other depressions that could cause an outfielder to break an ankle or leg. In fact, I don't remember an injury that was related to the condition of the field. The foul lines and batters' boxes were carefully, but often crookedly, marked with lime before each game. The field was hard and somewhat gravelly. In the early days, there was no fence but a slatted snow fence was added in the early 1950s, probably shortly after the the lights.
I would characterize the Cairo baseball diamond as fair. The nearest neighboring village, about 5 miles to the West, Gomer, had an excellent baseball field, but no lights. One of the Cairo area residents, Ed Sandy, was a AAA level pitcher who also coached high school baseball in Gomer. He saw to it that the Gomer baseball diamond was first class. The infield was a mixture of sand and clay and was kept in great condition. The outfield was also much better kept than Cairo's. Baseball was big in Gomer as a recreational and social activity too.
Ed Sandy would have "baseball camps" at the Gomer field about once per summer. I remember one in particular. I believe that camp was sponsored by the Philadelphia Phillies. One of the former major leaguers who came to teach (scout) at the camp was Dale Mitchell. Dale Mitchell played most of his career as an outfielder with the Cleveland Indians and retired with a lifetime (21 years) batting average of 0.314 or higher.
My brother and I were Cleveland Indians fans who listened to almost all of their games on a Fremont Ohio a.m. radio station (WFRE?). We had only a small brown Bakelite radio with an internal antenna and the reception was as much static as comprehensible description of the game. To hear the games, one of us had to keep his hand on the back of the radio to supplement the effect of the antenna. Jimmy Dudley ("hotter than a $2 pistol") and Jack Graner were the Indians announcers at that time but that is another story.
In any event, we knew from listening to the Indians' games that Dale Mitchell as a very good hitter and outfielder. The weather on the day of the camp was outstanding, clear and warm. My brother Harry and I rode our bicycles over to Gomer to attend the camp.
At the time of the Phillies' training camp, I believe that I was 15 years old and thought I might have a chance to play in the major leagues. However, at that camp, I watched Dale Mitchell throw the baseball as a major league outfielder would have to do. His throwing, far, fast and accurate, made me fully aware that I was not major league material. I figured that if a person could throw like Dale Mitchell and not be known for his throwing ability, there was absolutely no chance for someone with my poor throwing (slow, short and inaccurate).
However, that camp had another bright spot for me. I was the only kid there that had any experience as a catcher so I got to play full time, no matter which team was at bat. I didn't get an invitation to Philadelphia or elsewhere to try out as a catcher or otherwise.
After that camp, I gave up on my major league career but did go to a few other try out camps for the experience of playing with some very talented local ball players. On the other hand, my brother was a good infielder and did get invited to Detroit on several occasions to try out. He had (ambliopia) a lazy left eye and couldn't see the ball well enough to hit major league pitching.
Baseball was in the 1940s, 50s and 60s the primary form of recreation in Tood's Town. My dad served as manager of the Cairo Merchants team and I recall as some of my earliest memories that dad was actively involved in raising money to finance lights for the ball field.
If I remember correctly, the first couple (maybe several) attempts to raise the money failed, but eventually the money was raised and lights were installed. The presence of a lighted ball field changed the evening social life of Cairo. In the early days of the lighted field, night games were not common because of the cost of electricity to run the lights. Again, my memory may not be entirely accurate, but I recall the number of $100/hour to run the lights. That was a lot of money in Cairo in the mid to late 40s and the voluntary contributions and refreshment sales were not nearly sufficient to pay for the cost of electricity for a night game so most games were scheduled for early evening or Sunday afternoon.
Many of the games played there were memorable and may become the subject of later Tood's Town blogs, but another point of this blog is the quality of entertainment other than baseball that occurred at the Cairo Park during my childhood.
The headquarters of the Horse Association of Allen County was located on Wall Street in Cairo. Despite the name, most of the officers and members were horse and pony owners in the Cairo area. Among the most active members were Tink and Wanda Breda, Boone and Mildred Alstaetter and my parents. The Bredas (von Breda) lived about 3/4 mile south of Cairo on the west side of Route 65. The horses were always present in a half acre lot located adjacent Route 65. They were Palomino horses. Wanda was the one that rode and showed the horses.
The Horse Association was active in promoting social activities around Allen County including horse shows and trail rides. They also owned a dirt track speedway used for stock and modified car racing that was located just north of the village of Elida Ohio. In addition to Friday and Saturday night stock car races, the Horse Association would hold horse shows there a couple of times a year.
Mostly, the Horse Association sponsored western style horse shows around Allen County and supported horse shows in the surrounding communities and counties.
They also held horse shows at the Cairo Memorial Park. The annual Cairo horse show drew horses and riders from Ohio, Michigan and Indiana. It was a pretty big deal. The horses, riders and tack were for the most part first rate. Prizes of $100 for first prize were awarded. Some years, the prize money was paid in silver dollars.
At one horse show held just a few years after the end of World War II the Horse Association brought in the Lipizzaner Stallions. This group of probably 20 grey-white horses travelled the world and performed a wide variety of synchronous manuevers including rearing and walking for significant distances on their hind legs. These were part of the herd of Lipizzaners that had been hidden from the Nazis in Czechoslovakia during World War II. This was in the days before television in Cairo and no one there had seen the Lipizzaner stallions on the Ed Sullivan show or anywhere else.
More to follow.
I am still waiting for someone from the greater Cairo metropolitan area to read and comment on this blog and provide information/suggestions for additional discussion of Tood's Town and the history of Cairo.
Dillard Farnsworth
The Park is a triangular piece of land located at the east end of the Gudekunst farm and bounded on the east by the B&O railroad. It has a lighted baseball field, parking area, a shelter house, a small concession stand with an announcer's booth located above, and a swing set for children.
The baseball field was well maintained by volunteer members of the Cairo Recreation. A small farm tractor dragging a 10 foot length of chain link fence was used to level the bare infield. The outfield was grass and the entire field was generally level with no gopher holes or other depressions that could cause an outfielder to break an ankle or leg. In fact, I don't remember an injury that was related to the condition of the field. The foul lines and batters' boxes were carefully, but often crookedly, marked with lime before each game. The field was hard and somewhat gravelly. In the early days, there was no fence but a slatted snow fence was added in the early 1950s, probably shortly after the the lights.
I would characterize the Cairo baseball diamond as fair. The nearest neighboring village, about 5 miles to the West, Gomer, had an excellent baseball field, but no lights. One of the Cairo area residents, Ed Sandy, was a AAA level pitcher who also coached high school baseball in Gomer. He saw to it that the Gomer baseball diamond was first class. The infield was a mixture of sand and clay and was kept in great condition. The outfield was also much better kept than Cairo's. Baseball was big in Gomer as a recreational and social activity too.
Ed Sandy would have "baseball camps" at the Gomer field about once per summer. I remember one in particular. I believe that camp was sponsored by the Philadelphia Phillies. One of the former major leaguers who came to teach (scout) at the camp was Dale Mitchell. Dale Mitchell played most of his career as an outfielder with the Cleveland Indians and retired with a lifetime (21 years) batting average of 0.314 or higher.
My brother and I were Cleveland Indians fans who listened to almost all of their games on a Fremont Ohio a.m. radio station (WFRE?). We had only a small brown Bakelite radio with an internal antenna and the reception was as much static as comprehensible description of the game. To hear the games, one of us had to keep his hand on the back of the radio to supplement the effect of the antenna. Jimmy Dudley ("hotter than a $2 pistol") and Jack Graner were the Indians announcers at that time but that is another story.
In any event, we knew from listening to the Indians' games that Dale Mitchell as a very good hitter and outfielder. The weather on the day of the camp was outstanding, clear and warm. My brother Harry and I rode our bicycles over to Gomer to attend the camp.
At the time of the Phillies' training camp, I believe that I was 15 years old and thought I might have a chance to play in the major leagues. However, at that camp, I watched Dale Mitchell throw the baseball as a major league outfielder would have to do. His throwing, far, fast and accurate, made me fully aware that I was not major league material. I figured that if a person could throw like Dale Mitchell and not be known for his throwing ability, there was absolutely no chance for someone with my poor throwing (slow, short and inaccurate).
However, that camp had another bright spot for me. I was the only kid there that had any experience as a catcher so I got to play full time, no matter which team was at bat. I didn't get an invitation to Philadelphia or elsewhere to try out as a catcher or otherwise.
After that camp, I gave up on my major league career but did go to a few other try out camps for the experience of playing with some very talented local ball players. On the other hand, my brother was a good infielder and did get invited to Detroit on several occasions to try out. He had (ambliopia) a lazy left eye and couldn't see the ball well enough to hit major league pitching.
Baseball was in the 1940s, 50s and 60s the primary form of recreation in Tood's Town. My dad served as manager of the Cairo Merchants team and I recall as some of my earliest memories that dad was actively involved in raising money to finance lights for the ball field.
If I remember correctly, the first couple (maybe several) attempts to raise the money failed, but eventually the money was raised and lights were installed. The presence of a lighted ball field changed the evening social life of Cairo. In the early days of the lighted field, night games were not common because of the cost of electricity to run the lights. Again, my memory may not be entirely accurate, but I recall the number of $100/hour to run the lights. That was a lot of money in Cairo in the mid to late 40s and the voluntary contributions and refreshment sales were not nearly sufficient to pay for the cost of electricity for a night game so most games were scheduled for early evening or Sunday afternoon.
Many of the games played there were memorable and may become the subject of later Tood's Town blogs, but another point of this blog is the quality of entertainment other than baseball that occurred at the Cairo Park during my childhood.
The headquarters of the Horse Association of Allen County was located on Wall Street in Cairo. Despite the name, most of the officers and members were horse and pony owners in the Cairo area. Among the most active members were Tink and Wanda Breda, Boone and Mildred Alstaetter and my parents. The Bredas (von Breda) lived about 3/4 mile south of Cairo on the west side of Route 65. The horses were always present in a half acre lot located adjacent Route 65. They were Palomino horses. Wanda was the one that rode and showed the horses.
The Horse Association was active in promoting social activities around Allen County including horse shows and trail rides. They also owned a dirt track speedway used for stock and modified car racing that was located just north of the village of Elida Ohio. In addition to Friday and Saturday night stock car races, the Horse Association would hold horse shows there a couple of times a year.
Mostly, the Horse Association sponsored western style horse shows around Allen County and supported horse shows in the surrounding communities and counties.
They also held horse shows at the Cairo Memorial Park. The annual Cairo horse show drew horses and riders from Ohio, Michigan and Indiana. It was a pretty big deal. The horses, riders and tack were for the most part first rate. Prizes of $100 for first prize were awarded. Some years, the prize money was paid in silver dollars.
At one horse show held just a few years after the end of World War II the Horse Association brought in the Lipizzaner Stallions. This group of probably 20 grey-white horses travelled the world and performed a wide variety of synchronous manuevers including rearing and walking for significant distances on their hind legs. These were part of the herd of Lipizzaners that had been hidden from the Nazis in Czechoslovakia during World War II. This was in the days before television in Cairo and no one there had seen the Lipizzaner stallions on the Ed Sullivan show or anywhere else.
More to follow.
I am still waiting for someone from the greater Cairo metropolitan area to read and comment on this blog and provide information/suggestions for additional discussion of Tood's Town and the history of Cairo.
Dillard Farnsworth
posted by Tood at 9:41 AM
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