Joe Lingelbach’s name might be the one attached to Mets Stadium ball diamond in the Woodlawn Regional Park, but he’ll tell you his work was part of a much larger team effort.
A celebration was held Friday evening at the park to dedicate Lingelbach Field at Mets Stadium. A large crowd, including friends and family, turned out for the ceremony and to congratulate Lingelbach on the accomplishment.
Mets Stadium was the home of the Ace Mud Mets, which won provincial titles for Estevan in the 1960s and the 1970s. But the facility was not used for some time, and fell into a state of disrepair.
When Estevan hosted the provincial twilite over-35 tournament in 2010, Lingelbach co-chaired the competition alongside Lindsay Clark. A third field was needed to compliment the two at Lynn Prime Park, and so an effort began to restore Mets Stadium.
“Lindsay and I got down here, and we started reconstruction to get it playable for the provincials in July,” Lingelbach told the Mercury.
The following year, Mets Stadium was among the facilities in the park decimated by the flood of the Souris River. Once the damage was cleaned out, Lingelbach and other volunteers set out to restore it again, and it was in use before the end of 2012.
“We had already put in so much work in 2010, why wouldn’t you just keep going and get the diamond back with a whole lot of corporate help and other volunteers, we were able to do that.”
The flood of 2011 was a discouraging time, but Lingelbach was quick to point out that Mets Stadium is a recreational facility. Other people were hit harder because they lost farms, crops and homes.
He lauded all the people who put in a lot of time to get the field up to snuff on separate occasions.
“It’s a lot of fun to volunteer. It takes you away from doing things on the ‘Honey do” list that you’d rather not,” said Lingelbach.
He also credited his family for allowing him to come down and do his part to repair Mets Stadium, and the park board for hosting such a great event on Friday night and bringing all the people down.
The Tap House served supper and drinks to everyone in attendance.
Larry Preddy, who is the chairperson of the park authority, recalled that in the 1960s, Mets Stadium became a reality, thanks to the efforts of people like Ray Frehlick and Don Dupuis.
“The field has just grown and grown every year, and I can say as a park it’s something we are really proud of. I don’t think you’ll find a better ball park in southeast Saskatchewan than this one,” Preddy said.
Preddy noted that when he approached Lingelbach about the honour, Lingelbach wanted it to be named Volunteer Park, in honour of everyone who contributed.
Woodlawn Regional Park board member Greg Hoffort said Mets Stadium was not a priority once the flood waters subsided eight years ago, and if not for Lingelbach, Hoffort believes Mets Stadium would still be under two feet of mud.
“He came to us with a plan and what he had in mind, and we basically said it’s yours, go take it and do what you can,” said Hoffort.
Lingelbach rallied workers and sponsors to make the work happen, and at every work bee, he was the first to arrive and the last to leave. He also ensured the character of the park was maintained after the flood, rebuilding it to its original specifications.
Hoffort said it was important to leave the Mets Stadium name in tact, as it’s a big part of the city’s history. Lingelbach agreed it was important to keep the name.
“It’s part of history in our corner, and those people who came before me … you can’t take anything from them. They started all of this.”
Lingelbach noted Mets Stadium has been used for Saskota Baseball League games and provincial tournaments. He has played on it for provincial competitions, and he wishes he could have played there when he was a kid, because he believes the large outfield makes it a perfect place for kids to play baseball.
