Kidron field dedicated to Larry Lehman
From left, are park board members Larry Wald, Ryan Steiner, and Tom Poorman; Josh Lehman, son of Larry, and park board members Betty Geiser and Betty Troyer. Other board members include Hochstetler, Roy Miller and Harry Weaver.
KIDRON Larry Lehman had a special spot in his heart for Kidron and also for the game of baseball.
Because of this, it was only fitting that when the community gathered at the park for Fun Night this past summer, they also honored Lehman and thanked his family for their commitment to being lifetime sponsors of the “Larry Lehman Field.”
Lehman, who passed away in February 2021 at age 71, enjoyed the park for over 50 years, first as a kid playing baseball, then as a softball player, next as a coach, and finally as an umpire, according to information provided by the park board. He called the balls and strikes for over 30 years both at local and national tournament levels. The ballfields became like home for Lehman’s kids and grandkids who spent many nights there as Larry umpired tournaments until all hours of the night.
The Central Christian High School graduate was an auto mechanic and retired from Eastwood Furniture. He loved baseball and he loved this field. He many times referred to it as Kidron’s own “Field of Dreams”. He loved seeing kids play this game. Lehman often remarked that baseball was his connection to being young.
As a tribute to Lehman, a sign in his honor has been placed on the announcer’s box. lt is the hope of the entire Lehman family that kids will continue to play ball and that the community will gather for events here for many years to come.
