THE STORY OF THE CVABA
The Coon Valley Area Baseball Association began in the late
summer of 1996 when several local baseball enthusiasts got together to talk
about making improvements
to the ball field at Veteran’s Memorial Park in Coon Valley. The goal
was to create an improved facility which could be used for baseball at all
age levels
and someday would allow Coon Valley to host a quality baseball tournament.
Since that initial meeting of five or six individuals the group has grown,
currently
consisting of twelve members.
By the spring of 1997 the decision was made that a home run fence would be the
first step. With the support of the Coon Valley Park Board and the approval of
the Coon Valley Village Board, the CVABA got the go ahead to proceed with this
plan. With no funds available the group decided to borrow the money and put the
fence up first and raise the money later. That decision became the foundation
for a pay-as-you-go philosophy that the CVABA has followed since.
The second major project was to install the finest baseball scoreboard in the
area. Since that time the CVABA has fully enclosed the ball field with permanent
fencing and moved the backstop back to provide a larger and much safer playing
area. All of this was done with no cost to village residents. In addition, the
CVABA has worked with the park board by contributing financially to the building
of a new announcing booth and by providing volunteer labor and equipment on numerous
projects. In 2004 a new sound system for the ball field was purchased and a drain
tile project was completed on the ball field. The new batting tunnel was completed
in 2005. Most recently, a major landscape project at the entrance to the ballpark
was completed.
All of this has been done with the help of many generous benefactors such as
Steve & Cheryl Morey and Maxine Dayton who, along with other donors, provided
most of the money for the new scoreboard. Countless individuals and businesses
have supported the group’s efforts over the past ten years. Evidence of
this support continues with the donations of a grant from the Pax-Am Foundation,
administered by Vince and Dawn Hundt, memorials from the Mashak family in memory
of Duane, a great and loyal baseball fan, and the Proksch family in memory of
Kory who played baseball in Coon Valley and Chaseburg. A memorial for Don Ketchum,
headed by his friends and the owners of the Fjord Bar, Tom and Sharon Floyd funded
the batting tunnel. Badger Environmental & Earthworks and the Bean family
donated the drain tile project. The Coon Valley Lions provided half the cost
of the recent landscape project. Aid Association for Lutheran’s Branch
#4296 provided matching funds for various baseball fund-raisers.
In the past ten years the group has made over $100,000 worth of improvements
to the ball field facilities. These improvements led to the achievement of a
goal that was established when the CVABA was founded in 1996. In 2002 the CVABA
hosted the Wisconsin American Legion Class A State Tournament. Prior to this
we had hosted several regional tournaments for the Legion as well as the WBA
District Tournament. In 2005 we also hosted the WBA State Tournament. This coming
August we are again proud to host the 2007 Wisconsin American Legion Class A
State Tournament to be held the 3rd through the 7th.
None of this would have been possible without the continued support of the
many loyal baseball fans in Coon Valley, Chaseburg, and Westby. That is why
the word “Area” appears
in our organization’s name. The rich baseball tradition and the spirit
of volunteerism, which this area possesses, speaks for itself. The CVABA takes
pride in its efforts to continue this long and valuable tradition.
The CVABA continues to raise funds for future projects. Persons wishing to contact
the CVABA about its upcoming events or projects or who wish to contribute may
contact them at Coon Valley Area Baseball Association, PO Box 23, Coon Valley,
WI 54623, or on their website coonvalleyareabaseball.org. They may also contact
any of the groups current members: William Urbanek, Roger Neidfeldt, Greg Servais,
Roger Mathison, Burt Ekern, Mike Raasch, Bob Kerska, Dan Dwyer, Colin Nordstrom,
Bob Meurer, or Mike Fencl.