Base Ball at the Beach Festival coming to Villages of Five Points

Stopping by the Villages of Five Points Saturday, Aug. 26 may feel like stepping into a time machine for some. Of course, the live music and food trucks may seem a little out of place for 1864, the year the rules of what is now known as vintage base ball were written.

The Lewes Base Ball Club, established in 1874 and reconstituted in 2012, has a mission of not only playing the early version of baseball, but also teaching folks the history of the game and its historic ties to the First Town in the First State. 

“What’s better than food, music and baseball to put you in a good mood?” asked Lewes coach and founder Mike “Oyster” DiPaolo. “We want to encourage people to come out and learn about the game.”

While the club was able to host a few Base Ball at the Beach Festivals in the past, the pandemic complicated logistics, and their vision never fully came to life. 

“We decided to, this year, begin to make it what we thought it would be – a celebration of this area,” DiPaolo said. “We’re going to have live local music, local food trucks and vintage base ball, and we think it’s a really good opportunity for locals the weekend before Labor Day.”

For anyone who hasn’t seen vintage baseball, some of the glaring differences include no gloves, underhand pitching and no safe haven if a runner overruns first base. Fans will also notice fielders are able to catch balls after one bounce for outs. DiPaolo said players will be accessible to inquisitive fans.

As festivalgoers enter the site, the field off Old Orchard Road near Five Points will be laid out and look similar to a baseball diamond, minus the massive amounts of dirt and fencing. Home plate is situated near the bathroom building, while the live music and food trucks will be set up in left field foul territory. 

“You can listen to music, get food and keep your eye on the baseball game all right there,” DiPaolo said.

The founding date of Lewes Base Ball Club is based on a reference to Lewes playing Milton Feb. 28, 1874. DiPaolo said this was about the same time the country began to fall in love with baseball, something that was played in military camps across the country during the Civil War. 

“When [soldiers] came back, they established all these town teams. When you look back on baseball, it really took off after the Civil War,” DiPaolo said.

DiPaolo said they use the 1864 rules because they’re accessible, and the rules are different enough from the modern game that it makes it interesting to watch. Following the end of the Civil War, baseball began to evolve rapidly, and there were even different versions of the game played in different cities. The pitching mound, once at 45 feet, was moved back to 50 feet, then again to 60-feet-6-inches. The additional six inches, according to DiPaolo, was made in error as an authoritative figure mistook the 0 inches for another 6 inches. 

DiPaolo said one of the neat things about vintage baseball is that players will communicate with curious fans. One particular player, Mike “Chicken” Curry, has married into an interesting connection to the past of Lewes Base Ball. Carrie Curry, his wife, is a relative of Ebe T. Lynch, who was once the president and captain of the Lewes Base Ball Club. Lynch was shot and killed by Dr. William A. Parker on the corner of Second and Market streets in Lewes the evening of July 18, 1916. 

The news article stated that much of the success of baseball teams in the area had been a result of Lynch’s efforts. Appointed postmaster of Lewes by President William Howard Taft, Lynch was also the town’s fire chief and was considered to be one of the more popular men in Sussex County, according to the newspaper. Following his death, the Lewes Base Ball Club struggled to remain in existence and eventually folded. Ironically, the argument that escalated into the shooting had been about the makeup of the Lewes Base Ball Club roster.

Jumping forward to 2023, the Lewes Base Ball Club will be wrapping up its season at the tournament, with games against Rising Sun Base Ball Club at 11:30 a.m. and the Elkton Eclipse Base Ball Club at 2:30 p.m.

Frantic Frets is sponsoring musical performances by Al Frantic, the Williams Brothers and others to go along with beer from Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, a major sponsor of the team, and food from Taco Reho, Kona Ice and few other vendors.

“We’re looking forward to people coming down, sticking around for baseball and having a good time learning about a different way to play the game,” DiPaolo said.

Admission to the family-friendly festival will be free, but, as a 501(c)(3) nonproft, the team relies on donations to continue its mission. More information can be found at facebook.com/lewesbaseball.