Bing Crosby Stadium
Front Royal, Virginia
I couldn’t paint all those ball parks over the last six months and not include our very own “Bing Crosby Stadium”. So number 31 in my series of Painted DIamonds is The Bing, as it is affectionately known in Front Royal. It opened in April of 1950 and is the home to the Front Royal Cardinals, a collegiate summer baseball team.
There are many variations to the story of how the stadium got its name. Here is one:
In 1948, while serving as Grand Marshall of the Apple Blossom Festival in Winchester, Bing Crosby came to Front Royal at the invitation of Senator Raymond R. Guest to help with a fund-raising campaign for a new ball park. He contributed $1,000 to the effort. In 1950, Mr. Crosby returned to Front Royal for the premiere of his movie, “Riding High”, and made another contribution of $3,572.92, which completed the fund-raising campaign.
A plaque at the stadium reads as follows: “The stadium was dedicated on April 1, 1950. It was erected by the people of Front Royal and Warren County in sincere appreciation of Bing Crosby’s assistance in promoting recreational facilities for the youth of this community. “
Read Full Post »
