By Wesley Harris
A group working to improve Dubach has announced renovations to the town’s historic baseball stadium are nearing completion.
Randy Rogers, founder and chairman of Dubach Legends, a non-profit he started in 2023, said the facility has been cleaned up and made playable again and the installation of new lights is imminent.
Rogers said, “If I may use a sports metaphor, the newly restored Dubach ballpark is now proudly standing on third base. New dugouts are in place and painted, the outfield wall is adorned with sponsor banners, the concession stand has a fresh coat of paint and new water heater and sink, and the bathrooms are sparkling clean.”
“The next big step is to install field and grandstand lighting,” added Rogers. “Our stadium, when built in the 1950s, was one of the few lighted stadiums in the South.”
After taking bids, Dubach Legends chose Albritton Services of Ruston to install the new lighting.
“Our Albritton rep, Shane Bell, has experience lighting a ballpark in Downsville,” Rogers said. “His expertise will prove invaluable. Plus, Albritton’s has a bucket truck that can reach the top of the poles to remove the old halide lights.”
Rogers said the old lights will be replaced with 23 LED stadium lights so the group can host softball tournaments and other events at night.
The Dubach native said he hopes to convince some local high school baseball teams to compete on the restored field like they did in the ’50s and ’60s.
Rogers said, “The Ballpark Committee recently added two new members to our team—Dustin Morrow and Nick Abercrombie. Both are well connected to the area softball community and will organize our upcoming March 29 softball tournament.”
Morrow will serve as events coordinator for the organization.
Rogers said, “Dustin played soccer at Ruston High and is going to help us utilize our field for soccer tournaments. In the future, we want our field to be a venue for family play days, reunions, concerts, skeet and archery shoots, classic car shows, chili cookoffs, and other activities.”
“There’s really no limit to the events we can host on a field of this size,” Rogers said. “I’ll be honest, the night I top that hill in Dubach overlooking the historic ballpark and see it lit up again, I may cry like a baby. It’s been a long time coming and the list is too long to thank here, but we wouldn’t be this close if it wasn’t for all the donations, sweat, bruises, and blisters it took to get to where we are.”
“And where are we now? Why, we’re on third base, of course, waiting for the coach to give us the steal sign! Wish us luck!”
Rogers of Dubach Legends can be reached at planorandy@yahoo.com or 318-268-0312.
For the latest local news, subscribe FOR FREE to the Lincoln Parish Journal and receive an email each weekday morning at 6:55 right to your inbox. Just CLICK HERE to sign up.
