The Obadiah Place site will include a picnic and park area and a
baseball diamond, honouring the famous Amber Valley picnic,
started in 1915, and the even more famous baseball team, founded
in 1928 by Jeff Edwards. People would come from a 50-mile radius
to the picnic, a 2- or 3-day affair which included footraces,
catching greased pigs and climbing a greased pole, horse racing,
boxing, baseball, and horse pulling contests. The Amber Valley
baseball team, known for its winning record during the '30s,
provided cheap entertainment for the entire area when they went on
the road with their lighthearted approach to the game.
The Society plans the Obadiah Place as a destination for school
and seniors tours. "We're hoping, with the restoration of
this property, that it brings further education to children of the
province and the country," says Allan Hunspurger, president
of the Friends of Obadiah Place Society. "I grew up in this
province, and I didn't know any of this."
Shirley Bowen articulates the indebtedness that her own and
subsequent generations owe to their pioneering grandparents.
"The greatest legacy they left us is that we were, in fact,
born free. We feel that it is different from what the Americans
have, because they still have that lingering memory [of slavery]
and segregation. It's different from what the Africans have when
they come here. It's different from what the West Indian black
people have. Canadian black people have a freedom that we were
just born with. It's evident in our way of thinking, the way we
look at things, the way we approach jobs, our attitudes. There is
a sense of belonging, a sense of right, and a sense of 'we can do,
we can have, we can be, and we don't have to ask.'"
Heritage Community Foundation Presents
