As the Hall of Famer Ernie Banks said, “Let’s play two! Let’s play two!”
Saturday saw the return of the Williston Park Little League opening day parade, followed by four games at Kelleher Field in what Little League President Joe Manopella said was the largest showing he has seen in his decade-plus of participating in the league.
“We had the biggest turnout we’ve had in many years; it was great,” said Manopella, who has held the position for about seven years. “It was a nice ceremony and a great parade.”
Players, coaches and parents marched in the parade, which started on Broad Street in front of Frantoni’s before turning onto Hillside, Willis and Dartmouth Avenue. The parade went on Broad and Yale Street, ending at Kelleher Field, greeted by Williston Park resident Barry Reilly playing the bagpipes.
It was the first parade to be held since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and the first opening ceremony with Kelleher Field’s new improvements. The league continued play last year, and renovations including a turf infield, bleachers and a batting cage were ready by the 2020 season, but festivities had to be canceled due to COVID protocols.
More recently, the league and village contributed to installing new LED lights, each paying half of the costs that will make the night games better.
“It was really a phenomenal day for all of us,” Manopella said. “It was nice to see literally the entire community come out to line the parade route and cheer everybody on. It was such a nice feeling to know we’ve gotten back to normal.”
Also Involved in the parade were Mayor Paul Ehrbar and the Board of Trustees, state Assemblyman Ed Ra (R-Franklin Square), the American Legion and VFW, among others. First responders including the Williston Park Fire Department, Nassau County Police Department and Williston Park Auxiliary Police joined as well.
At Kelleher Field, the ceremony emphasized the league’s and village’s resilience through several years of adversity. Attendees were treated to food and refreshments before a softball triple-header followed by a boys baseball game.
The Williston Park Little League currently has seven divisions from tee-ball to juniors baseball, as well as softball, according to its website.
Manopella said that the league is in one of the best states it’s ever been, alluding to the growing softball program with over 100 girls and the league with over 350 players. Manopella, who first started going to tee-ball games 15 years ago as a parent, also thanked the sponsors of the league.
“We’ve had more sponsors than ever before and they’re a great help,” Manopella said. “We’re able to do free indoor training and other programs throughout the year at no additional cost or raising fees for the league.”
As the season begins, Manopella said he is excited to get things rolling after the hiatus from the league’s full programming.
“It was a really great sense of community; the players and coaches were excited,” Manopella said. “We were all happy after this break for the parade and ceremony to take place because it’s been a long time. It was a breath of fresh air for everybody.”
