Alexandria Little League’s first fund-raiser brought in close to $40,000, according to league officials.
It was called Holly’s Grand Slam, in memory of Holly Richardson, a Little League mom who died last year. It was held at Jack Taylor's Toyota dealership on Route 1 and was attended by nearly 600 people.
“We were very pleased,” said Mike Neilson, the president of Alexandria Little League. “A lot of people worked very hard to make this happen and we are grateful to them and to those who attended and donated items or sponsored the event in some other way.”
ONE OF THE highlights of the evening was baseball memorabilia that was part of the silent auction. There was spirited bidding for the Al Downing/Henry Aaron ball, the ball that Aaron hit off of Downing for his 715th home run, breaking Babe Ruth’s record. It went for around $300. Another lucky bidder paid $2,000 for a trip to New York, lunch and a Yankee game with Yankee Hall of Famer Whitey Ford. A Stan Musial bat brought in $1,000.
“The food was great, the memorabilia was exciting and everybody had a good time,” Neilson said.
The money will be used to make improvements at Simpson Field. “We want to add some batting cages and improve the restrooms and concession stand,” Neilson said. “This is just a starting point, though. Capital improvements cost a lot of money.”