PEMBROKE, Mass. — Pembroke Youth Little League has a brand-new light pole ahead of their busiest weekend of the year. They’re hosting the Kids Helping Kids tournament, which benefits ‘Santa’s Helper’s on the South Shore.
More than 100 games will be played at Mattakeesett Fields as teams from different towns register months in advance to partake. Leading up to the big weekend, the organizers in Pembroke weren’t sure if they’d be able to play after the sun goes down on ‘Field C’
“That pole was still in the ground and there were some dads on the field including our president of baseball literally digging a trench to put the wiring in,” One of the board members, Brian Shanahan, said. “Tonight was the night we ultimately needed it. Last possible hour.”
That pole he described is a brand new 50-foot metal light tower which is needed to play games after dark. In the historic blizzard last winter, the strong winds knocked over one of the outfield light posts.
“I didn’t believe we lost a light pole because we were under two to three feet of snow,” Pembroke Youth Baseball President John Mahoney said. “I drove down here and yes, it’s buried under the snow. Nothing we could do until snow was gone. It snapped right at the base.”
A couple of months away from baseball season, the program started fundraising quickly. They reached their goal after a big donation from Big Y. The supermarket chain opened a new store in town and donated money to get the new light pole bought and installed.
It was turned on during a ceremony Friday night. Pembroke Youth Baseball the field would be renamed ‘Big Y field’ thanks to the donation.
Boston 25 News Reporter Michael Raimondi asked Mahoney if they’d be able to host a tournament this large if they new lights weren’t installed.
“Probably not. We have 100 games going today through the weekend,” Mahoney said. “Where are we going to put those games if this light pole isn’t here to cover this field? I’m glad now that I’m down with the work, everyone else is done with the work, and we can sit back and watch the baseball and playing baseball under the lights.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW