Delaware County base ball rivals join forces to help Hancock
July 8 vintage game in Kirkside Park will benefit town hard hit by flood
The vintage base ball game on Saturday between the Roxbury Nine and the Hancock Nine in Roxbury's Kirkside Park will benefit the Town of Hancock, one of those hardest hit by last week's devastating floods. Admission to the game at noon is free, but freewill donations to help the town's recovery efforts will be accepted.
As in the historic days of "town ball," these two teams are fierce rivals on the diamond but supportive of each other's programs, scheduling several hard fought match-ups each season. "It's only natural that the spirit of town ball and the hands-on support that county towns would historically lend to one another in 'the good old days' should come into play here and now," said Kirkside Park Director Peg Ellsworth. "Sometimes Roxbury has been hit hard, this time Hancock really took a devastating blow. People can come and enjoy a wonderful summer ball game and at the same time know they are doing their bit to help our neighbors in Hancock."
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The Town of Hancock sits at the junction of the East and West branches of the Delaware River and that convergence spelled double disaster for this township of 3,500 full-time residents during last week's flooding. Ninety percent of the town's roads were heavily damaged, and for days after the flooding, many in Hancock were trapped without power and with no way in or out. The town hall's records and computers and half a million dollars' worth of highway trucks and equipment were destroyed. Supervisor Samuel Rowe, Jr. faces a comprehensive rehabilitation effort in which the damage to Route 30 alone will cost as much as $2 million and where state and federal disaster relief will have to be spread far and wide. The repercussions of last week's flooding in Hancock far exceed those of the 1972, 2004 and 2005 floods, which hit the town previously.
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Frank Passemato Jr., a lieutenant in the town's volunteer Fire Department was interviewed by TheNew York Times as he pumped water out of cellars and distributed bottled water to stranded residents: "One of the greatest things about this town is that you can count on your neighbors and friends to help you get through the tough times. We'll need a lot of money, a lot of faith and a lot of will power moving forward, but we'll make it."
Join vintage base ball fans this Saturday at noon in Roxbury's Kirkside Park for an old-fashioned action-packed game between seasoned rivals. You'll help your county neighbors take home some well-deserved relief along with the huzzahs.
For more information about Saturday's benefit, contact the Roxbury Parks Department at 607 326-3722 or continue to visit this web site for more information.