Negro League legends to be honored
By From staff reports
Published in Sports on July 20, 2011 1:47 PM
Baseball fans and historians will get a chance this weekend to visit first-hand with some of the pioneers of the game when the Yesterday's Negro League Players Foundation holds a celebration that will include Hubert "Daddy" Wooten of Goldsboro and Carl Long of Kinston.
The event starts Friday with a luncheon at Holloway Park in Kinston, followed by a tribute to the veterans prior to the Kinston Indians game at historic Grainger Stadium. The players will be available to meet and greet fans starting about 5:30 p.m. They will be officially recognized during the game, with Long throwing out the first pitch.
On Saturday, the players will visit Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in the morning, meeting youth and other admirers, before attending the 15th anniversary celebration of Rebuilding Broken Places at 11 a.m.
After the celebration will be another meet-and-greet, this one at a cookout at Fairview Park on Edgerton Street. The event will include basic food items as long as they last, games and music, and a chance to buy Negro League memorabilia on sale.
Events will culminate Saturday evening with an honors program in the Grey Room at Herman Park Center, starting at 6 p.m. Seating is limited to 170 people and requires a ticket, which will cost between $5 and $10. There will be light evening fare, drink and dessert. The program will feature video and audio segments concerning Wooten and Long.
For information about the weekend's events, call Pat Grantham at (919) 344-2761.