Play Ball!

Devil’s Den takes a swing at Fourth of July fun

When the Civilian Conservation Corps was building Devil's Den State Park in the 1930s, work meant creating hiking trails, the stone dam on Lee Creek, cabins made of native stone and logs, campgrounds, offices and a restaurant.

Play often meant baseball -- on a field the New Deal laborers also built.

FAQ

Devil’s Den

Games

WHEN — Starting at 9 a.m. today

WHERE — Devil’s Den State Park near West Fork

COST — Free

INFO — 761-3325

"We honor them and that tradition" by playing softball every summer at the West Fork park, says interpreter Adam Leslie, who is responsible for educational activities, trail maintenance and natural resources at the park. "Softball is a big thing at Devil's Den," he adds, and it's the "main component" of the Devil's Den Games -- now in their 39th year.

Softball starts early on the Fourth of July, with the action getting under way about 9 a.m.

"It's very much a pickup game," Leslie says. "We do have bats and gloves and balls and bases. We just need people to come and play."

Depending on the number of players -- both youngsters and adults -- games can go on all day, culminating in a championship bout around 6:30 p.m., Leslie says, just about the same time homemade ice cream is being churned.

"But we do all kinds of other fun activities," he adds, including competitions such as egg tosses and watermelon seed spitting, horseshoe contests, a pet parade and a people parade on foot and bike. The variety is a reflection of the park itself, Leslie says.

"We're kind of unique among the state parks in that we have the opportunity to do just about everything here, hiking and photography, mountain biking, bird watching, fishing, canoeing, pedal boats -- just a little bit of everything."

-- Becca Martin-Brown

[email protected]

NAN What's Up on 07/04/2014

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