Nice Turnout puts shine on Kramer Field in TD on March 11

Karen Murray and another volunteer pick the garbage from the floor of a dugout at Kramer Field on Saturday, March 11. They were participating in the second-Saturday cleanups organized by Columbia Gorge Toyota and Honda and The Dalles Beautification Committee. They piggy-backed the event with The Dalles Little League field cleanup day, for maximum results. It worked, the event drew some 60 volunteers and the fields were looking pretty good by day’s end.

Second Saturday cleanup crew stands for a photo at Thompson Park before getting their hands dirty. Columbia River Bank and Scouts of The Dalles participated as well as others.

By Tom Peterson

Saturday’s Sun was a welcome sign as volunteers collected at Thompson Park in The Dalles before joining a major cleanup and maintenance day at The Dalles Little League ballfields at Kramer field. 

The Volunteer effort led by Columbia Gorge Toyotoa and Honda and The Dalles Beautification Committee cleared out dozens of bags of garbage as Little Leage Volunteers worked on bleachers, filled holes in the outfield and and raked the infields for local kids ready to round the bases.

Teamwork truly made the dreamwork. 

Hope springs eternal and baseball is a fine sign that the best of the yeart is in front of us as temps climb and kids grab their gloves and balls. 

It appeared some 60 or so people turned out for the both the clean up and ball field prep. 

“WHAT. A. DAY! Kramer Field Clean Up #1 is in the books!” said The Dalles Little League Facebook page. “Huge thank you to all the volunteers who showed up to make this day successful! We would like to thank Tum-A-Lum, Home Depot, Waste Connections, Dirt Hugger, TDHS National Honor Society and the 2nd Saturday Clean Up Crew for contributing and donating to our league! Our volunteers and donors are the best!! We were blown away by the turnout - thanks everyone! Stevie, our field maintenance extraordinaire, facilitated a great event!!”

How many people does it take to put up a net? Four said this volunteer counting it out on her hand.

Connie Krummrich with The Dalles Beautification Committee chats with Carmen Myers and Sandi Smith about removing litter and other items from the dugouts. They are used at times for shelter by people who are houseless. Volunteers were asked to be observant when picking items up as they may still be of use to those that left them behind.

Blake Anghilante finds some low spots in the outfield and fills them at Kramer Field on Saturday. He said his son Archer will be playing ball this year. Worst part of filling holes is finding them, he said. Blake methodically used his feat to find depressions, careful not to twist an ankle.

Sandi Smith of Columbia Bank awaits another find at Kramer Field.

Old habits die hard for Karen Murray. She is a master recycler and spent years at Tri-County recycle working on ways to remove items from the landfill. “The earth needs us,” she said. “It gets so messy. why bury stuff in landfill? Keep it in the cycle of reusing instead of garbage.” Murray was also part of The Dalles Middle School Green Team in years past.

Little League volunteers replace boards on the bleachers at Kramer’s Field on Saturday.

Volunteers comb the fence line near Kramer Field on Walnut Street on Saturday. The wind in The Dalles sends a lot of refuse sticking to the chainlink fences at the park.

Karen Murray and Connie Krummrich with some of the Little League stars.

Tiffany Moyer works on Second Base, leveling the dirt around the bag. I can smell a double coming this spring.