If Mark Twain and Babe Ruth can attend, so can you

Friends of Vintage Base Ball will hold their Colt Meadows Invitational on Saturday, Jun 16, at the Hartford Base Ball Grounds in Colt Park. You'll see local teams play baseball as it was played in the 19th Century, on a field with a baseball history dating back to the Civil War era. In addition to appearances by "Mark Twain" and "Babe Ruth," there'll be Civil War re-enactors, activities for the kids, and more. The fun starts at 10 a.m. This is an organization that's not only true to Hartford's history, but serious about community-building and providing family-oriented fun. Don't miss out!

Connecticut in the Civil War

April brings the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War, so the history magazine Connecticut Explored (formerly the Hog River Journal), has dedicated its latest issue to Connecticut's role in the conflict. Articles include: "Heroes of the Home Front" (how women’s deeds honored their country); "Connecticut’s Naval Contributions to the Civil War" (Glastonbury’s Gideon Welles brings order out of chaos); "Connecticut Arms the Union" (rifles, revolvers, and shells that sound “like the shriek of a demon"); "Memorials to a Nation Preserved" (the great sacrifice remembered in stone and bronze); and "Soldier’s Heart" (possible PTSD among Civil War veterans).

A great day for 'base ball' in Colt Park

OK, it took me long enough to post them, but here are a video clip and photos from the "Boost Hartford Day" triple-header that Hartford-based Friends of Vintage Base Ball held in Colt Park two Saturdays ago. It was a beautiful day for 1860s- and 1880s-style ball. Hartford Courant columnist and editor Tom Condon threw out the first pitch before the second game, with Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra doing the honors for the third game. Unfortunately, I wasn't around for the mayor's toss, but Tom Condon's superb form (maybe it was the Curt Schilling t-shirt?) is captured below. That's FOVB Commissioner Gary "Pops" Goldberg-O'Maxfield making the introduction.

Friends of Vintage Base Ball is a great ambassador for Hartford. It will hold a fund-raiser on October 21, but don't be shy about making a contribution in the meantime.

Saturday at CHS: "Reflections on Hartford’s Kellogg Brothers"

Alas, back in 19th-century Hartford, no one was posting video clips of their lives on YouTube. But we do have the work of the Kellogg Brothers, who created prints that depicted the city's everyday life in detail.

The Connecticut Historical Society will wrap up its six-month exhibition of Kellogg prints on Saturday, July 17, with a panel discussion among Georgia B. Barnhill of the American Antiquarian Society, Donald H. Cresswell of the Philadelphia Print Shop, and collectors James Brust and John Zak.

The event begins at 3:30 p.m. at the CHS museum at 1 Elizabeth Street in Hartford. There's no charge beyond general admission to the museum, which is $6 for adults and $3 for seniors (65 and over), students (with valid college ID), and youth (ages 6-17). For more information, call (860) 236-5621 x209.

By the way, CHS has published a book of its Kellogg prints.

Guess which city nonprofit turns 200 this year?

It's the Village for Families & Children Inc., which has marked the occasion by launching a three-year, $5 million fund-raising campaign as well as this nifty slide show on its long history of good works for the people of Hartford and surrounding communities.

Play ball! (in Colt Park)

If you've never seen a game of "vintage base ball," you're missing out. It's baseball the way they played it in the 19th century -- sometimes without gloves, always with great sportsmanship. Now Karen and Gary O'Maxfield of Hartford have begun the Friends of Vintage Base Ball. "Our purpose is to facilitate and preserve the customs, culture, history and spirit of vintage base ball through public education, awareness and participation," says their website, at www.friendsofvintagebaseball.org.

Locally, the Friends are working to have a field in Colt Park designated for vintage base ball. They note that the Coltsville district was recently named a National Historic Landmark and is on its way to becoming a National Park. "As base ball was an activity promoted by the Colt Factory and, indeed, by Elizabeth Colt herself, returning the sport to the former grounds of the Colt estate is a concept whose time has come," they contend. "Vintage base ball is more than sport or entertainment— it is living history."

Karen O'Maxfield operates another website dedicated to the history of Hartford, at hartford.omaxfield.com. Gary is also "Pops O'Maxfield," the noted vintage base ball umpire and historian.