How a small Cape Breton community got its very own field of dreams

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ou don’t need to get too near Hawks Dream Field to be taken by its magnificence. The baselines on the Dominion, Nova Scotia-based diamond shoot out towards the Atlantic Ocean, offering a backdrop for flyballs few venues can match and fertile floor for rising native sports activities legends. Just over 100 hundred years in the past, Hector “Hec” Andrews — a slight shortstop taking part in for the Dominion Hawks — swatted a ball 478 ft into the ocean. It was scooped up by some fishermen and resides on dry land immediately, the proud possession of Andrews’ grandson, Bruce Carabin.

The factor about Hawks Dream Field, although, is a close-up is nearly required to get a full sense of what actually makes the place particular. That’s not solely as a result of unbelievable facelift the park lately obtained, however due to the care and consideration that went into the renovation of your entire web site. Anybody strolling alongside the strolling monitor that rims the perimeter of the property will see seating accessible each 30 ft for many who require the occasional relaxation. The bleachers have areas carved out to accommodate wheelchairs and the dugouts are XL-sized so athletes and coaches who use wheelchairs can transfer freely. The window on the canteen is ready low within the wall so anyone who walks or rolls up can look an individual within the eye and order their coronary heart’s want. It’s all a results of the message Toni McNeil and the remainder of the Hawks Dream Field Society took to completely different organizations and ranges of presidency — together with Tim Houston, Nova Scotia’s premier — whereas fundraising for this undertaking. “I said, ‘Every ballfield or park built from here on out, this [proposed] field should be the benchmark,’” McNeil recollects. “’Because there’s no reason people with disabilities cannot have recreational areas to be comfortable and included in.’”