Ray Fair Field grand opening

Tyler Lowey, Times Reporter

A year ago it was a diamond in the rough.
The new ballpark in Cheadle is set for its grand opening and unveiling of its name July 29 when the Strathmore Reds host the Okotoks Outlaws in bantam league action.
The Cheadle Lions Club and Strathmore and District Minor Baseball decided to name the field after one of Wheatland County’s greatest supporters of the game at the grassroots level.
As of July 29, the brilliant new ballpark will be known as Ray Fair Field.
Fair passed away last May after suffering a heart attack. He was 68 years old.
“Ray was a long-time resident of the area, a Lions Club member and a huge supporter of local baseball as a player, coach and an umpire,” said bantam Reds assistant coach Darren Cockx. “We thought it would be perfect and fitting to name the field after him.”
Cockx was one of four project managers who built the new facility. He ran the idea of naming the field after Ray past Ray’s widow Marilyn.
“I was really proud when I heard they were naming the field after him. Ray loved baseball and was really involved with the organization of all the teams,” said Marilyn. “I drove past the field last month and it’s beautiful. Ray would have loved it.”
Fair Field will be home to the midget and bantam Reds, as the field was designed with both ballpark dimensions in mind. The outfield fence is burgundy with an extended portion in right field. The concrete dugouts are spacious with individual areas for player equipment. A mesh screen replaces the traditional chain-link fence for better viewing, as there is optimal viewing from all around the ballpark. The scoreboard and bantam-sized foul pole that were missing during the bantam game two weeks ago, have since been erected.
Fair Field housed its first ball games two weeks ago when the bantam Reds played three games, winning two. The midgets even broke in their new digs with a 14-4 dusting of the Okotoks Outlaws July 19.
First pitch of the grand opening game goes at 6 p.m., following the opening ceremonies.
Marilyn will be on hand for the ribbon cutting and unveiling of the new sign, which will be located behind the home plate bleachers. There will also be a free dinner featuring beef on a bun with a bar serving cold beverages.
When the bantam Reds hosted three games two weekends ago, the coaching staffs from the Provost Pilots, Camrose Cougars and St. Albert Cardinals were so blown away by the stunning beauty of the field, they recommended the location be the host site for this year’s provincial championship.
The recommendation worked, as Baseball Alberta announced last week that Cheadle will host this year’s bantam Tier I championship, when the Reds will look to defend their provincial title Aug. 4 to 6.
“It’s pretty amazing how this place was dirt a year ago, and now Baseball Alberta is giving us provincials,” said Cockx. “It’s a pretty impressive feat for us. All those hours of work have really paid off.”
The Reds won provincials last year, advancing to the Western Canadian championship, where they took home the silver medal.
Baseball Alberta was also so blown away by Cockx’s aerial photographs that they have decided to use his shot for the cover of their yearly handbook that comes out next March. The handbook includes rules, past winners and award winners, and features one of Alberta’s ballparks on the cover each year.