The City of Spartanburg and The Harry Dallara Foundation celebrated a special Groundbreaking Ceremony at Duncan Park on Thursday September 5, 2024, to launch a major Project to renovate the two youth ballfields there. The Project will involve improvements to the ballfields including new grass and irrigation, new lighting and fencing, and improved dugouts for the players. In addition, there will be new bleachers for family & friends replete with shade structures. Furthermore, the concession and bathroom areas will be modernized and updated and will include an inviting Plaza area for the enjoyment of all. There will also be a special bas-relief plaque installed to honor the Spartanburg Sluggers, the Negro League team, who played at Duncan Park for many decades.
The Project will bring to Duncan Park another important set of athletic facilities for the youth of Spartanburg, including those living in the neighborhoods surrounding the Park. These various enhancements will augment other major projects in the Duncan Park area which have taken place, including the new Daniel Morgan Trail System, and the reactivation of the lake at Duncan Park.
The Groundbreaking Ceremony was MCed by Kim Brown, Parks and Recreation Director, and was highlighted by comments from the Honorable Mayor Jerome Rice, Charles Dallara, Chair of The Harry Dallara Foundation, Mitch Kennedy, Deputy City Manager, Luther Norman, Leader of The Spartanburg County Foundation's Youth Sports Bureau, and Sam Foster, Director of The Harry Dallara Foundation. Mayor Rice issued the statement, "I'm excited to see this new Project to promote youth baseball at Duncan Park. I see this as a significant complement to our important project in the Grain District, to build a stadium for the Hub City Spartanburgers. This will create the real possibility that, in the years to come, young athletes who learn baseball at Duncan Park will one day play for the Spartanburgers." Mr. Dallara added, "The Harry Dallara Foundation is proud to be associated with this initiative to strengthen the youth baseball program for all boys and girls in the city. Harry Dallara, a dedicated resident of Spartanburg, would be proud at the prospect of greater engagement in baseball for the youth around Duncan Park, including minority youth."
Following the remarks, attendees were invited to join in a ceremonial groundbreaking by manning shovels to scatter dirt on to the field.
