The City of Pella and the Fields For Our Future Board are announcing the new Pella Sports Park will officially open with a community celebration.

The park’s opening ceremonies will take place on Tuesday, May 3 beginning at 5:30 p.m.

“It has been awesome to see how this community stepped up and made something special,” said Fields For Our Future President Bill DeMeulenaere in a statement. “We are excited for the community to see what so many in Pella have worked hard to accomplish, a first class sports park that will be a great gathering place for kids and families.”

The board has planned a community celebration that will includes speeches from state and community leaders, free concession items, free commemorative foam baseballs, and youth baseball and softball games.

“We wanted to do something special for the community to thank them for all the support we have received for this project,” Sam Van Maanen, Board Member, said. “It’s going to be a great night and we want everyone to come out even if they don’t have children or grandchildren playing. This project is great for Pella and we want everyone to be proud of it.”

The park will open at 5:00, with speakers beginning around 5:30. There will be comments from city officials, representatives from Vision Iowa as well as the other park keystone contributors, Vermeer and Pella Corporation. The ceremonial first pitch will take place at around 6:00 with Pella Little League games taking place on all fields beginning shortly after the first pitch.

The Pella Sports Park is a 105 acre facility that currently includes 5 tournament (lighted) baseball/softball fields with permanent fences. The facility also has multi-purpose green spaces available to facilitate multiple fields for soccer, football, cricket and other activities. The complex has a full service concession stand, restroom facilities, PA system, scoreboards for the baseball/softball fields, and two playgrounds.

“As excited as we are for the opening of the Pella Sports Park our work is not complete,” said board member Craig Wassenaar. “This is only phase one of a multi-phase project. We have already begun fundraising for the next phase. Hopefully when people see the quality of this facility they will be excited to help us complete the project by donating.”

The Board is already at work fundraising to add an additional ball diamond. Click here for more details.

For a listing of all donors above $1000, check out the donor wall at the concession building. There will be a temporary banner at the opening ceremonies and a permanent donor wall will be completed in the summer.

The Opening Ceremony schedule:

5:00pm – Park opens

5:30pm – Opening Ceremony begins with selected speakers:

- Fields For Our Future

- Pella Community Character Counts

- Vision Iowa

- Pella Corporation (Rolscreen Foundation; Kuyper Foundation)

- Vermeer Corporation (Vermeer Charitable Foundation)

- City of Pella

Immediately Following – National Anthem and Opening Pitches

Immediately Following – Little League games on all fields (approximately 6:15)

The Concessions Stand will be open for the duration, and there will be complimentary foam baseballs, food and drinks while supplies last.

About Fields for Our Future: It is a private non-profit 501(c)3 organization established by local residents to drive the development of a quality sports park in the Pella community. The
organization is dedicated to establishing a facility that met the organizations goals which it calls the “Four Pillars of Progress” which include a sports facility that will provide 1) places for our youth to play, 2) community involvement, 3) safety and accessibility and 4) economic vitality.

Members of the Board are Tim Brackin, Rob Bradley, Tony Briggs, Jerry Brummel, Ryan Davis, Bill DeMeulenaere, Joel Dorman, Verlan Nikkel, Wendy Sims, Dan Tauke, Sam Van Maanan and Craig Wassenaar