The World of Little League® Museum and Official Store will be offering its visitors the unique opportunity to participate in behind-the-scenes tours of the Little League® International complex at its annual Open House event on Saturday, April 7.
Two full-complex tours are scheduled to begin in front of the museum at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., respectively, while the Museum will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is no fee for the guided tour and admission to the Museum is free that day.
“As the weather turns warmer and ballfields begin being used again, we want to invite the public to learn more about the Little League International Complex,” said Lance Van Auken, Little League Vice President and Executive Director of the Museum. “Very few people get a chance to do this at other times of the year, so it’s something to take advantage of.”
During the tour, museum tour guides will share stories about players and artifacts collected throughout the years. This is a walking tour with extended periods outdoors, so participants should wear appropriate shoes and dress for the weather.
Leading off the tour, participants will have the opportunity to enter one of the dormitories in the Dr. Creighton J. Hale International Grove where Little League Baseball® World Series players live during the annual tournament, a part of the complex closed to the public during the rest of the year.
Visitors will then have the opportunity to enter Little League Volunteer Stadium and Howard J. Lamade Stadium, the same fields used during the Little League Baseball World Series each August, where they will descend beneath the complex to see batting cages, game operations facilities, and the media center, before taking in the view of the field from the dugouts and photography wells.
The group will see the statue that honors Carl E. Stotz, Little League’s founder, and visit the “Mighty Casey” statue, symbolizing the $2 million endowment fund created in 2005 for the Little League Challenger Division® by The Garth Brooks Teammates for Kids Foundation and 28 current and former Major League Baseball players.
As part of the Open House, visitors also may tour the museum at no charge. In addition to the outside complex tours, staff members will be available inside the museum to answer questions and share information about the artifacts that are on display. In addition, the Little League Official Store will be hosting a tent sale outside of the Museum’s entrance featuring Little League Baseball World Series T-shirts and caps for only $5.
The Open House is a chance for area residents to familiarize themselves with the interactive experiences, films, and artifacts that are included in the Museum.