Continued improvements are being done at the Walt Anderson Baseball Field in Rippey. The funding for these upgrades was provided by the Greene County Community Foundation, along with matching funds from the Friends of Rippey.
This photo shows the Rippey M and M volunteer scrapers and painters, Mel Murken and Merle Jackson. They are resting on their work as they have recently completed scraping and then painting the original wooden Rippey grandstand.
The second photo depicts the work completed to improve the baseball dugouts. You will note the boxes for the individual player’s hats, along with PVC pipe holders for bat storage.
These improvements also included new support rafters that had rotted. The same carpentry work has been completed in the visitor’s dug out. The M and M painters will be painting in both dugouts.
Mel Murken, Rippey’s baseball commissioner, recently received notification from the Mid-Iowa Baseball League informing him the league will be bringing ball games to Rippey beginning in May of 2021. Mel has been recruiting them for the past two summers, but because of the pandemic they were unable to play this year. Minimal rent will be paid for use of the Walt Anderson Field to the city of Rippey, and the Friends of Rippey will sell concessions at the games.
The scoreboard will be reactivated and the P.A. system will be restored to announce the players coming to bat. Rippeyites will be pleased to learn that former Rippey resident and East Greene player David Hick will be playing in some of these home games.
Will we find a leader to help us sing, “Take me out to the Ball Game”? Plan to come to Rippey and enjoy the sound of the crack of the bat in the summer of 2021.
