Wade Williams Foundation Keeping Baseball Alive for a New Generation

BAKER CITY – Baseball has been called America’s Pastime for a reason. Local baseball diamonds are a staple of many communities and offer both youth and adults the perfect place to participate in an iconic sport. However, these fields are far more than just convenient, static landmarks and require both funding and people to keep them pristine. In Baker City, the community has taken the care and upkeep of the Wade Williams Field into their own hands.

The history of this local little league field, one of the few remaining privately owned little league fields in the nation, goes back to the early 20^th century. As explained by member of the Wade Williams Foundation and Baker County Chamber of Commerce Man of the year Kenny Keister:

“The Wade Williams Field was established in the early 1900s by Mister Leo Adler himself. He was asked who to name it after and it was mister Wade Williams. Wade was a coach in Baker and eventually moved over to Portland and had great success coaching over there at Lincoln High and Portland State University. He turned out many pro-level baseball players.”

For those unfamiliar with the man and his work, Leo Adler was a prominent businessman from Baker City that made his fortune in the Magazine reselling business. A charitable figure and lover of baseball, Leo supported the Baker Community throughout his life via donations and charity to public service and education. The aptly titled Leo Adler Field is also named in his honor, though is no longer used for baseball. 

Back to the Wade Williams Field itself, the foundation was established in late 2021 by concerned community members. At the time, a lack of funds and volunteers along with only seasonal maintenance meant the field was falling into disrepair. As stated by Keister:

“We as a community weren’t really taking care of it because of the lack of volunteers and the lack of funding. We created the Wade Williams foundation to assist with that.”

The Wade Williams Foundation thus helped to take pressure off the local little league in managing the field’s upkeep. Funding and volunteers were made available, and the foundation now works on the field year-round. “We’re still growing the grass and watering it and mowing and doing all the good things so next season there’s not so much to do,” Keister noted.

While the foundation has made significant strides, such as greening the grass, spreading new playing dirt, and rebuilding the parking lot, there is still plenty to do. According to Keister, the team are working on updating the lighting system to LEDs and rebuilding the bathrooms which  had to be torn down due to their poor condition. 

So far, however, the foundation’s efforts seem to be paying off. Keister noted that Baker’s little league team have been able to focus their efforts on maintaining the 17^th street softball field instead of both locations. Ten thousand dollars in funding that’d normally be split between the two fields all went to 17^th street thanks to the volunteers of Wade Williams. As far as actual usage, Keister says it best:

“Our numbers were significantly up last year. Our T-ball program was huge. We had a great turnout as far as the three-to-five-year-old divisions. Just trying to grow the program, build it back to what it was when I was a kid. We’ve had just an amazing response from the kids and the parents. The kids love being there and it’s a much better place for them to be.”

Of course, the project wouldn’t be possible without community support. For those looking to assist Wade Williams, the foundation is constantly looking for field work volunteers, cash donations along with auction and raffle prize donations. The Elks Lodge, who own the field and lease it to the public, have continued to support the foundation in fundraising efforts while local businesses have donated “everything from Yankees tickets, to barbecues, guided elk hunts, and simple gift cards,” according to Keister.

Plenty of sponsorship options are also available, including outfield banners, bull-pen banners and full field options for the T-ball field and barn. Those who would like to donate or set up a sponsorship can send a message to wadewilliamsfoundation@gmail.com or view their Facebook page for more information. 

In the meantime, The Foundation is preparing to host the second annual Wade Williams Banquet February 18. The Family friendly event will feature ballpark style food and plenty of prizes, with all proceeds going toward continued restoration of the field. 

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