On the Ada Icon: Ray Brown Memorial Park to be dedicated on May 14

Alger will host a Party in the Park to celebrate Baseball Hall of Famer

MEDIA RELEASE__The Hardin County Historical Museums and the Village of Alger have announced the dedication of Ray Brown Memorial Park on Thursday, May 14 at 1007 N. Ohio St., Alger, Ohio.

A "Party in the Park" will begin at 1:00 p.m. and continue throughout the afternoon. A formal ceremony will feature music, a ceremonial first pitch, and remarks from state and local dignitaries.

A souvenir Ray Brown Memorial Park baseball will be given to the first 200 attendees.

Born in 1908 in Alger, Ray Brown was a pitcher in the Negro Leagues in the 1930s-'40s and was posthumously inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006. The Hardin County Historical Musuems invitation explains, "Prior to the [museum and Village of Alger] collaboration, Brown's excellence on the field had gone unrecognized in his hometown.... Brown starred for the dominant Homestead Grays. He led the Grays to eight pennants in a nine-year sapn, threw a one-hitter in the 9144 Negro World Series and owns the second highest winning percentage in baseball history."

The celebration will include the unveiling of both an Ohio Historical Marker and a painted mural of the Hall of Fame pitcher by artist Aubrey Davis.

Three food trucks and a lunch combo at the newly refurbished park concession stand will be available.