Step back in time to when baseball was pastime and commerce.

This is an in-person program.

Baseball in Bend has a long history. Over time the local game has grown from town teams and semi-pro players to Major League Baseball farm organizations and into the familiar collegiate West Coast League we lovingly watch and follow today. Step back in time with Vanessa Ivey, museum manager of the Deschutes County Historical Society & Museum as she shares stories of an earlier era when baseball wasn't just a favorite pastime, but a way to build commerce in communities. Where the swat of the wood bat rang true whether you were a Bend Babe or a Bend Elk and twirling and hurling wasn't a county fair ride description.

Vanessa IveyAs Deschutes Historical Museum's manager for the past thirteen years, Vanessa Ivey is in the best position to research one of her favorite things...BASEBALL! At a young age she fell in love with the hardball sport following games both over the radio and watching on the family's 13- inch black and white Zenith. As both player and fan Vanessa grew up in Banks, Oregon, later attending Lewis and Clark College where she received her Bachelor of Science degree. She moved to Bend when the Bandits were still taking the field off Wilson Ave. She continues to attend summer baseball games at Genna Stadium, travels to Seattle to watch Mariner vs Yankee games, and has recently returned from Tampa, Florida where she attended Women's Fantasy Baseball Camp playing ball with a few of her favorite Yankee greats.

Deschutes County Historical Society & MuseumThe mission of the Deschutes County Historical Society is to "preserve, promote and celebrate our shared local history." Learn more at https://www.deschuteshistory.org/

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