Red Cloud Baseball History Fund

I am the Heritage Tourism and Economic Development Director in Red Cloud. While the various community groups I'm involved in are doing a wonderful job bringing great things to town, our significant connections to baseball greats continues to be underplayed. I would like to raise enough money to purchase signs from the Nebraska State Historical Society that recognize the historical significance of the Red Cloud Ballfields and Malick Park near Cowles. Webster County has a rich MLB history with Hall-of-Famers Dazzy Vance and Cy Young both playing for local teams. Vance and Clarence Mitchell were raised in the region and deserve more recognition. 

The money will be used to purchase signs from the State Historical Society, with one being placed near the Cowles exit on Highway 281 approximately 5 miles north of Red Cloud and the other being placed near the Red Cloud Ballfields. The Cowles sign would honor Malick Park and Cy Young while the Red Cloud sign would honor all players but feature Dazzy Vance most prominently. 

Any funds leftover from this campaign would be used to start a "Restore Malick Park" campaign. Malick Park, in addition to its baseball connections, features a fountain and was a popular summer destination in the region for many years. Presidential nominee and noted Nebraskan politician William Jennings Bryan once gave a speech there and it featured many notable guests. While preserving this park would far exceed the costs of this campaign, it is my sincere hope that this would get the ball rolling.  We have discussed the possibility of a Red Cloud Baseball History Festival and proceeds from this GoFundMe campaign that exceed the cost of the historical markers could conceivably used to start a festival. Exhibition games featuring the uniforms and rules of the early baseball eras would almost certainly be a feature of such a festival with the games being played in Red Cloud. 

First and foremost, we need to preserve these significant pieces of Webster County History so they can be as accessible as possible to future generations. With all of the tremendous heritage tourist assets in Red Cloud, it's easy to forget that Dazzy Vance, Cy Young, and Clarence Mitchell once excelled here and the signs and, hopefully, the eventual restoration of the Malick Park area will provide a testament to the richness of life in Cowles and Red Cloud in the early 1900s. It will also provide an additional tourist destination for our region and complement our rich literary, recretional, and agricultural assets.