The Fredonia Beaver Club purchased a field groomer for the Fredonia Little League to improve and maintain the ballfields at the main complex, as well as the field at Russell Joy Park that is used by local travel teams. The Beaver Club’s substantial donations covered the cost of the field groomer, featuring a hydraulic drive system and attachments, valued at more than $30,000. Steve St. George helped secure the field groomer for the Beaver Club.

“This was just something that we thought was a great thing to do for the community,” Fredonia Beaver Club President Dave George said. “Anything that’s good for the youth is good for us to put our money toward.”

George said that all six voting members of the board were in favor of supporting the Little League however they could, and many non-voting members were also in favor of the decision. It was not the first time the Beaver Club came through with a substantial gift to support youth sports in the community, as the group also purchased a new scoreboard for the Orange Bowl several years ago, along with new scoreboards for the Little League, as well.

“We like to help out the youth sports. There’s not a lot of money there for the kids, and all the adults there are volunteers. They do as many fundraisers as they can, but there’s never enough money there to give them what they need and give the kids a safe place to play ball,” George said.

Pictured is the field conditions at Russell Joy Park after use of the new equipment purchased for the Fredonia Little League.

The Fredonia Beaver Club also donated to the Little League this year to help with the purchase of materials to build new wood benches for the dugouts. Fredonia High School students, receiving guidance from Greg Haase, constructed and installed the benches.

“They never say no,” Fredonia Little League President Michael Cerrie said. “If they can do it, they say yes.”

The Fredonia Little League received its new field groomer last season and it made a major difference. Now in preparation for the new year, the impact is every bit as noticeable.

“It’s pretty amazing. It’s a tool that some colleges don’t even have,” Cerrie said.

The field groomer can be utilized to drag and level the infield base-paths, which is crucial for playability after heavy rains. Prior to receiving the field groomer, if the Little League complex was hit with heavy rains, the fields would often be flooded the whole next day, at least. Now, with the new groomer, even if a field has standing water on it, all three fields at the Little League complex can be made playable within roughly an hour if the rain subsides.

Fredonia’s Chuckie Aldrich slides into third as the tag is applied by Mayville’s Austin Houle during a Little League baseball game last summer in Fredonia.

Player safety and quality of play are also dramatically improved by having the new field groomer. Leveling out uneven spots in the base-paths and the infield diamond save players from tough hops and bad steps.

With Fredonia Little League run by volunteers, the new field groomer is especially helpful in the time it saves in preparing the fields. The previously daunting task can now be done quickly and efficiently. George hopes that the field groomer could also be used by the Dunkirk and Fredonia high school teams in emergency circumstances, such as heavy storms, if needed.

“It makes life so much easier. … It helps the kids out so much, and the parents talk about how nice the fields look because of it,” Cerrie said. “… Some of these kids may never play high school baseball. Very few are going to play college baseball. But you know what? They are playing on amazing fields, which has to be a great feeling.”

Board members of the Beaver Club and Steve St. George have been invited to the opening night ceremony to recognize them for their gift to the Little League. George was proud to support the Little League because he loves to see children outside being active, rather than indoors glued to a screen.

“Some of these kids, that’s all you see them doing. I’d rather them be out on the field somewhere doing anything — cheerleading, playing football, playing tennis, playing pickleball, anything other than sitting at home on their phones or on video games,” he said.

Fredonia Little League players and coaches from the 10-12 All-Stars hold up the District 38 championship banner after winning the title last summer.

The field groomer was dedicated in honor of Nate George — Dave’s son — who was killed in a car accident in 2009. Nate George grew up playing Fredonia Little League baseball with Cerrie all throughout their childhood. After he passed away, Cerrie was part of the group who started the Nathan George Foundation in his honor. Over the years, the foundation has supported local youth sports with several donations, in addition to scholarships offered to Fredonia students.

Little League baseball is a family tradition for Cerrie, as his great uncle, Benjamin Cerrie, was a “foundational piece” of Little League baseball throughout the country. When he passed away, leagues from across the nation sent flowers to honor his legacy.

Each year, roughly 250 children are involved with the Fredonia Little League program. Cerrie was once one of those kids, and he grew up to be a Little League parent himself.

“It’s awesome to be able to help these kids,” Cerrie said. “I do realize that there are some kids out there who this might be the best part of their week, playing baseball and hanging out with their friends. We want to make that as awesome for them as possible.”