Councilman Leon F. Tejada of Ward 8 and The Elmwood Little League are excited to announce the 1st night exhibition baseball game in Elmwood Little League history. The night’s festivities will take place Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 7 p.m. at J.T. Owens Field, located on Niantic Avenue, in Providence.
The lights were funded from the Baseball Tomorrow Fund (BTF) of Major League Baseball, Councilman Leon F. Tejada’s Ward 8 Neighborhood Bond Funds, and Mayor David N. Cicilline with the total project totaling $91,000. The Elmwood Little League is the largest baseball league in Providence. The League has three fields which include a Minor, Major, and Softball fields all located at Niantic Avenue in Providence. The addition of the four steel poles containing sixteen 1,500 watt fixtures will help to the 700 boys and girls expand their games into the evening. The teams range in age from six to sixteen years old.
The Elmwood Little League serves youth from the Elmwood, South Elmwood, Reservoir, and West end neighborhoods. The volunteer youth program is on of the oldest (57 years) and the biggest with over 100 volunteers. These volunteers assist coaching, maintaining the excellent field conditions, and various other things to keep the league running smoothly. As Jim Taylor, Vice-President of the League pointed out, “We were the largest baseball league in the City of Providence and the only league without lights until now”.
