Scott Ford Field dedication set for Sunday

NORWALK — It will be a big weekend of events this Saturday and Sunday for the Lefty Grove Baseball League, which is winding down another summer season soon.From 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday, the league will host its annual Bat-a-thon fundraiser, where Bantam and Colt division players will compete against each other to see which division can tally the most hits. At the same time on Field No. 1, there will be a home run derby across the junior (11-13 ages) and senior (14-16) divisions, along with a special "Old timers" division that is open to anyone who is aged out of the league. An awards ceremony to announce the winners of each division in both the Bat-a-thon and home run derby will be held at 3 p.m., also at Field No. 1.At 4 p.m. Saturday on Field No. 2 will be the first annual managers softball game.Meanwhile, the weekly Ribfest held at Miller's Market (117 Whittlesey Ave.) every Saturday through July and August will benefit the Lefty Grove league as well this from 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. this Saturday.On Sunday, the life and memory of former longtime commissioner Scott Ford takes center stage at the VFW Fields (140 Milan Ave.).The league received a grant from the Cleveland Indians, and used the funds to make improvements to Field No. 4. Among those improvements is signage to rename it Scott Ford Field.Ford volunteered in some capacity with the league from 1977 through his death in Sept. 2019 at the age of 71. During that span, he served as the league secretary and treasurer, was an umpire and team manager, and from 1987-2019, he was the league's commissioner.At 1 p.m. Sunday, the official dedication of Scott Ford Field will be held before the annual All-Star games for each division. At 2 p.m., the All-Star games for the Bantam (Fields 4-5), Colt (Field 1), Junior (Field 2) and Senior (Field 3) divisions will be contested.