HUMBOLDT — Residents are invited to revisit Humboldt’s sports history and learn about plans for its future during “A Day at the Ball Field” on Saturday, Oct. 24, at historic Walter Johnson Field.
Hosted by the Johnson-Sweatt Foundation, the event will feature a free 5K fun run, a cornhole tournament, food trucks and games. Organizers hope to bring people back to the stadium, encourage them to share memories and introduce proposed improvements to the property.
The 5K begins at 9 a.m., with registration opening at 8 a.m. Cornhole registration starts at 11 a.m., followed by the tournament at noon. A donor has offered a $100 prize for the tournament winner.
Soccer activities, wiffle ball and other baseball-related games will be available throughout the day. Food vendors include 3:23 Bakery, Hoggy Style BBQ, Tio Phil’s Mexican Food and Two Brothers Farm Chuckwagon, with the bakery on hand early and the other trucks expected around 10 a.m.
Built in 1936 through the Works Progress Administration, the seven-acre complex served generations of Humboldt football and baseball players before the USD 258 sports complex opened in 2014.
The foundation, named for Humboldt natives Walter Johnson and George Sweatt, envisions a full-sized soccer field at the former football field, a smaller soccer field nearby and a new baseball diamond in the property’s northwest corner. Plans also call for a 45,000-square-foot indoor multisport facility behind the existing grandstand.
The proposed development, estimated at $20 million, remains in its early planning stages as organizers seek engineering designs and project quotes.
More information is available at johnsonsweattfoundation.org.
