The North Ward Center Little League and the Liga Roberto Clemente de Newark joined together on Saturday, April 25 to celebrate their 32nd annual opening of baseball season in Newark's North Ward.
Carrying red, white and blue balloons and dressed in their team uniforms, more than 500 boys and girls from the North Ward Center's Little League were joined by parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters as they marched down Mount Prospect and Bloomfield avenues to Branch Brook Park's Middle Division Complex.
At Second Avenue, they were joined by children from the Liga Roberto Clemente (Roberto Clemente League). Both leagues have marched together in a spirit of cooperation on opening day for the last three decades.
Children who were last year's champions on the minor and major league divisions – the White Sox and the Storm -- rode in a float festooned with colorful decorations.
The North Ward Center Little League was founded in 1978 by Stephen N. Adubato Sr., the founder of the North Ward Center, LeRoy "The Doc" Smith, Anthony Burke and Joseph DiVincenzo, then the director of recreation for the North Ward Center who is now the Essex County executive.
This season, the North Ward Center league will serve nearly 500 boys and girls between the ages of 8 through 15 on 30 teams in six divisions.
"It's a great day for the kids of Newark," said Rashard Casey, the director of the Youth Leadership Development program for The North Ward Center.
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