Work being done to revamp former minor league park in Paris
Paris, Ill. — Throughout the 1950s, the Paris Lakers professional minor league team and its Laker Stadium ballpark provided an idyllic setting for baseball fans in this Illinois town.
At its apex, the Lakers drew 60,350 fans through the turnstiles during the 1956 season, their second in the Midwest League. Originally a member of the Mississippi-Ohio Valley League (1950-54) the Lakers were later a Class D affiliate in the Chicago Cubs organization (1955-59).
Laker Stadium, located in Twin Lakes Park on the north side of Paris, was described during that time as a fenced square with unsheltered bleacher seating 2,500 people. But after the team folded prior to the 1960 season and through the inevitable passage of time, now all that’s left behind is the original playing field.
To be exact, a substandard playing field remains. But happily, that will not be the last chapter written in the Laker Stadium saga.
The town of Paris is mounting a fundraising campaign to resurrect Laker Stadium. Not necessarily to house a minor league team, but all options are on the table.
“If you build it they will come,” offered Herman Taylor, borrowing that famous quote from the baseball movie “Field of Dreams.” Taylor is a member of the newly-formed Laker Board, a seven-member group appointed by the city’s mayor and city council.
I like the sentiment and all, but people really need to stop using that phrase.
There are some good quotes from players like former Negro Leaguer Clinton "Butch" McCord and former Major league pitcher Morrie Steevens.
It all leads into the current project.
Good luck, Paris.
Fast forward to present day, the Laker Stadium playing surface is in a state of disrepair despite being the home field for Paris High School and various youth teams.
According to Taylor, the playing field — extending from home plate to right-center field has a drop-off of about 6 1/2 feet. He noted there are a lot of bad hops on the field too.
“Many people in the community remember fondly those days in the ‘50s … a lot of baseball fans,” Taylor described the reasoning behind the revitalization of Laker Stadium. “Several people living here now were bat boys then or worked at the stadium. There’s a lot of nostalgia for the ball park.
“We’re trying to do this over time,” Taylor said of the fundraising effort. “We’re not using tax dollars. First we want to get the field to a reasonable level of play. The fence is shot in the outfield … we have more weeds than grass.”
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