History of the Ballpark
The Nazareth Ballpark is currently located east of the school along Highway 86, although it has not always been. Originally, the only baseball field in Nazareth was behind the school,so that's where the Swifts played their games. Then, in 1957, Elmer Schulte and Paul Venhaus decided to talk to George Schacher about buying some of his land for a new ballpark separate from the school. The cost of the land is not known, but it was not nearly as expensive as land is today. After that, the new field was built at its current location. Many of the citizens in Nazareth helped do all of the tasks needed in order to complete the ballpark, such as putting in the lights and putting up the fences. A few years later, the concession stand was built, but until then, drinks and food were sold out of a pickup. At the beginning, the Ball Club took care of all of the maintenance for the park, but around 1975, the community took over by having a designated ballpark committee. The key move that really increased the quality of the ballpark was when the advertisement signs across the outfield fence were put up. They really helped to keep the whole ballpark going. Now, Suds and Sounds is a benefactor that brings in tournaments. The most recent addition to the ballpark is a t-ball field that was completed this summer. The land for this field was donated by the Leroy Pohlmeier family.
