The dream of a renovated baseball diamond in Dutton is one step closer to reality.
The Dutton Dunwich Minor Ball Association, in partnership with the Municipality of Dutton Dunwich, has been named a finalist in the Toronto Blue Jays’ Jays Care Foundation Field of Dreams grant program. The project, which would overhaul Diamond #3 in Sons of Scotland Park, is competing for a share of funding that supports the renovation of community baseball diamonds across Canada.
The aging diamond currently suffers from a broken backstop, uneven playing surface, and a lack of basic features such as dugouts—making it both inaccessible and unsafe. The proposed $150,000 upgrade would address all of that, including a new clay-lined infield, roofed dugouts with concrete flooring for accessibility, new benches, base-line fencing, and enhanced safety features.
The winner will be revealed live on Saturday, May 4 during a Sportsnet broadcast ahead of the Toronto Blue Jays game, starting as early as 1 p.m.
To mark the occasion, a Finalist Watch Party will be held under the Lions Pavilion at Sons of Scotland Park starting at noon. The Dutton Lions Club food booth will be open, and the afternoon will include baseball skills activities and games for kids. The live broadcast will be streamed for attendees as the community waits to hear if Dutton will be announced on the national stage.
If awarded the Field of Dreams grant, the funding would be combined with support from the Ontario Trillium Foundation Capital Grant to complete the renovation. The improvements will also benefit the local Challenger Baseball program hosted in Dutton, an adaptive league for kids living with physical or cognitive disabilities.
Currently, demand for ball diamonds in the community far exceeds availability, with teams practicing in grassy fields or on makeshift playing surfaces. A completed and modernized Diamond #3 would help meet that demand while serving as a public space for recreation and community gathering.
Written by: K. Freeman
