Olmsted Society offers free Vintage Base Ball exhibition in Riverside

Chicago Tribune

4 days ago

Take me out to the 'old ball game' will have a new meaning July 27 when the Olmsted Society of Riverside presents a Vintage Base Ball Game.
Visitors at this free event will watch baseball players in reproductions of historical uniforms play baseball the way the sport was played in the 1860s.
The annual event began in 2019, the sesquicentennial of the year landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted and architect Calvert Vaux, who had previously collaborated on the plan for New York City's Central Park, created the general plan for Riverside.
The Vintage Base Ball Game concept was introduced by Cathy Maloney, a board member of the Olmstead Society of Riverside, who coordinates the event each year. A couple of years were skipped during the COVID-19 pandemic, though.
'I'm always captivated with how people entertained themselves in days past,' Maloney said. 'The Vintage Baseball Game seemed like a great way to get people outside and connect not only with their present day community, but also the Riverside of yesteryear.'
Each year, the Chicago Salmon, a member team in the Vintage Base Ball Association, challenges another member team. Their 2025 opponents are the Blue Island Brewmasters, coming from the south suburbs for a rematch. The teams will bring printouts to help spectators follow the game's rules, which vary from those of the modern game.
Maloney said a key difference of the historical game is that vintage baseball players do not need a diamond. 'They prefer playing in a field, where there may or may not be trees,' she said. 'That adds to the excitement of the game.'
She added that the bats are wood and are much longer than the bats currently used.
In addition, women were allowed to play in the early games. 'In the vintage recreations, you will see women with bloomers and skirts playing the game,' Maloney said.
According to the Vintage Base Ball Association, most players were in the field bare-handed, and gloves and mitts didn't become common until the mid-1880s.
And there will be a seventh inning stretch song, but not the one you expect.
Detailed information on the vintage rules, including the composition of the baseballs, is at chicagosalmon.org/rules-of-1858.
Maloney said the event draws a good crowd each year.
'It has become a local tradition where people plan to attend the game.' She added that people walking by the park often drop in to watch the action.
Dan Murphy, president of the Olmsted Society of Riverside, estimated between 100-200 people attend each year.
The free event is financed through the organization's general fund, he said.
'We have a big fundraiser every September called Hop Stop, which is a community beer festival,' Murphy said. In addition, membership dues and walking neighborhood tours are sources of other funds.
This year's game is at 1 p.m. July 27 at Big Ball Park, Longcommon and Delaplaine roads.
'I think it's a great community event,' Murphy said. 'We get kids and adults attending. The game is fun to watch and the players really enjoy themselves and enjoy the historical aspects of it.'
And there's a special treat for youngsters.
'After the game, kids will run the bases while the players will attempt — not too hard — to tag them out,' Murphy said.
Maloney added that 'The players love to explain the intricacies of the game to spectators.'
She concluded, 'I love that it is family fun outdoors in nature, with a twist of historical interest.'