The I REMBMER RIPPEY books remain available. Thirty Five copies of the publication sold on Amazon in December. The Publisher, Raspberry Ridge will be sending a check for $204.75 for those books sold. In addition, 75 books have been mailed or distributed from the Rippey community with more being shipped just today. The responses to the stories published have been positive, with a some asking for a second edition. That may come later after more of the books have been sold.
The Friends of Rippey leadership remains very humbled, as well as pleased about the continuing donations for the Rippey Baseball Park.
To date, $2,550 has been received from 13 individuals. These are primarily individuals who played baseball, or who have deep Rippey roots and recall spending time at the ball field.
In addition, a purchase of a home plate, new bases and a pitcher’s rubber was donated by Fran Teagarden as a memorial to her husband Jack. The Greene County Board of Supervisors provided $4,500 from Louis Dreyfus funds, plus in-kind labor from the 2nd Greene County Road crew. This will be used to improve the field safety warning track. Greene County clay has been deposited by the Greene County Road crew to mold a new warm up pitcher’s mound on the west side of the field. The City of Rippey, the owner of the Walt Anderson Field, has pledged to purchase the safety tile for the top of the chain link fence.
These funds and in-kind services will be used as a match for an additional grant request for the ballpark. In a request, to be completed in February to the Greene County Community Foundation, the Friends of Rippey will be seeking funds to strengthen the wooden grandstand structure and continued painting of the grandstand in the areas Mel and Merle could not reach without the use of additional equipment.
The first planned game will be May 16, depending upon the Covid Pandemic implications.
Looking forward to hearing the words “PLAY BALL” at the Rippey Ball Park.
-Mary Weaver