FOCUS - MAY 2017 33 Most of the softball leagues within Scugog use the Joe Fowler Park and Carolyn Best Park in Port Perry. They are used by kids as young as 5 and adults as old as 70+. Over the past few years these eight locals have no- ticed that the diamonds could use some upgrades and a little extra care. Some upgrades are to accommodate safety and other upgrades to enhance the diamonds making the diamonds more available for use. The spark was lit in 2015 to initiate a Slo-Pitch Tournament called Field of Dreams (FOD) for the following year. This Port Perry tournament’s primary goal is to raise funds solely for diamond improvements. Last year’s successful event raised $5,000+ and to show instant improvement to the diamonds two enhancements are underway. The first will be the ad- dition of sunshades at the Joe Fowler north and south diamonds. These diamonds are exposed to the sun during sunset, which makes it unsafe for fielders and pitchers as they look directly at the sun when looking towards the batter’s box. The second improvement is an outfield fence located at Carolyn Best Diamond 3. Without having outfield fences it reduces the attrac- tiveness of the diamond for the Men’s and Women’s Leagues as well as weekend tournaments. The ex- pansion of usable diamonds will encourage growth within the leagues to accommodate new teams. Both of these upgrades are planned to take place prior to the 2017 softball season. Future enhancements from FOD 2017 and FOD 2018 will look at LED lighting for Carolyn Best Diamond 3 and power run to all diamonds at Carolyn Best to enable pitching machines so that our youth can practice and im- prove upon their skills. Field of Dreams 2017 takes place June 9-11 and team registration is currently open in all divisions for Men’s, Ladies and Co-Ed. If you don’t play softball but would like to contrib- ute towards this local project, FOD has a Sponsorship Program where local businesses can sponsor the tour- nament and in return receive numerous advertising opportunities. There are 4 levels of sponsorship set up to cater to all levels of commitment. In addition, if you would like to assist by volunteering, your support would be greatly appreciated. Lastly, in rounding out the fundraising opportuni- ties, a Community Dance will be hosted by Field of Dreams Saturday June 10th at the Scugog Community Centre. The dance is open to the public and will take place from 8 p.m. – 1 a.m. This year’s dance will feature a live band – “Just Us”. Dance tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. If you would like to reserve a table for the event see contact details below. To register a team, receive details on the Sponsorship Program, assisting as a volunteer or would like to pur- chase tickets for the Community Dance please email PPFieldofDreams@gmail.com, call 416-268-7074 or visit our Facebook page @PortPerryFOD. The Field of Dreams board would like to thank the Township of Scugog for their phenomenal ongoing support to help enable this community event. Softball is a great sport that promotes youth activity, adult ca- maraderie and enables greater networking opportunities within Scugog Township. Join us in building the future of softball within Scugog Township. IF YOU BUILD IT .... If you’ve ever watched the movie Field of Dreams with Kevin Costner you understand the concept of “if you build it they will come.” Eight Scugog residents have taken it upon themselves to do just that – build it and they will come. Tim Myers on behalf of the FOD Board, Special to Focus on Scugog