Blowout Bash Slated for Sunday: Citizen Initiated Event to be largest Northwest Springfield has seen.

Grant Beach Park Baseball Field is getting a face lift in preparation for the Northwest Springfield Softball Blowout Bonanza slated for Sunday, September 30th.

According to event organizers Derek White and Rob Brantley, this Citizen Initiated Project is completely free to the public and they are prepared to feed 1,200 Springfield Residents.

The Blowout Bonanza is part two of a three phase project.

The first phase is in coordination with Springfield-Greene County Park Board and consists of refurbishment of the Grant Beach Baseball Field. Already completed is the addition of an outfield fence, safer access to the field, and a complete overhaul of the infield.

According to Director of Parks Jodie Adams, the infield is being resurfaced with a Calcined Clay Product which is a natural mineral in the form of Quartz Sand.

“This is the same type of material that many professional teams use to help with field absorption and drainage,” she said. “The ball field at Grant Beach Park is our pilot project and serves as a test of this high-speed drainage, low-maintenance material.”

The second phase of this three part citizen initiated exercise, in improvement of life for residents of Northwest Springfield, is the actual Blowout Bonanza to be held on the 30th.

The event opens at 1pm with the service of Free Pizza and will conclude around 5pm with the distribution of Door Prizes, Drawings, and Awards. Throughout the day, family fun events like Gunny Sack Races, Watermelon Seed Spitting Contests, Zany Obstacle Course Races, and a Community Softball Game will be ongoing.

The third and final phase of this three-part project will be the creation of a Northwest Springfield Neighborhood Softball League for Youth. The vision is to design a league composed of neighborhood teams that is completely underwritten by local area business and civic organizations.

Organizers Rob Brantley and Derek White started working towards this three phase citizen initiated package in late July.

“If two guys with a simple idea and the will to create positive change can set up this series of events… then when the Residents of Northwest Springfield band together on other issues… we can literally move mountains.”

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Real People for Real Change is proud to be a Sponsor of this Community Event