A field of their own: Dalton softball players, alumnae break in new field dedicated to Howard J. Wenger

PHOTO BY KURT IMMLER | DGKN
Front, Howard and Sandy Wenger; back from left, Jeff Wenger and wife, Jill, Preston Wenger, Coy Wenger, H.J. Wenger, Stephanie Wenger and Greg at the field dedicated to Howard J. Wenger.

PHOTO BY THE DGKN

A nice crowd showed up July 12 for the dedication of Dalton High School’s new softball field.

PHOTO BY LISA McGINTY | LMc Photography

The Ramer family, friends, and church pastor during the presentation of the retirement of Janine Ramer’s No. 17 softball jersey during the fourth-inning stretch at the inaugural game on the field July 12.

 

DALTON  Members of the community filed in to sit on shiny new bleachers and positioned lawn chairs just outside the fence and around the field near the downtown area on a historic day for the school district.

For the first time in Dalton’s history, the Lady Dawgs played on their own softball field.

Appropriately, Dalton’s softball team played the inaugural game on the newly christened field July 12 against Dalton alumnae. More than 30 softball players who had graduated within the past 25 years or so showed that they still have what it takes and came out victorious with a 7-4 win over the high school players.

The dedication of Dalton High School’s new softball field could not have happened on a more pleasant summer evening as large puffy clouds lazily blocked the setting sun’s rays every so often and a slight breeze offered some cooling comfort to players and the crowd on the otherwise warm day.

Dalton Local Schools Superintendent Jim Saxer welcomed everyone to the dedication ceremony and explained how naming the field after local business owner Howard J. Wenger wasn’t a difficult decision as he was the catalyst behind the completion of the field.

Saxer told the crowd that the softball field has been a longtime coming and the field was one of the first projects he learned about when he was hired as head of the school district.

“I can remember I started in August of 2015 and one of the first meetings I had was with a group of parents who said ‘don’t forget we want a softball field’,” he said.

Read the complete story in the July 20, 2022 edition.