Parkhurst Field
America's Original Field of Dreams
From Legends to Little League
Build it, and they will come. That was the idea behind creating the Parkhurst Field Foundation in 2014, whose mission is to turn the Gloversville Little League ballpark into a premier destination for teams from all over the country.
Why Parkhurst?
Foundation executive director Dave Karpinski, who played Little League there as a kid, stumbled upon some long-forgotten history of the field while researching ways to raise funds for improving the ballpark’s aging infrastructure. He discovered that generations of Little Leaguers had unknowingly played ball on the same hallowed ground that hosted early 20th-century baseball giants. This discovery led to a significant transformation of the project, evolving from a simple update to a colossal undertaking to restore the park to its original 1906 glory, thus creating Gloversville’s own “field of dreams.”
Nine years later, they have come… in droves.
Legends Park at Parkhurst Field is set to become an economic goldmine for Fulton County. The county contributed $1 million to the foundation’s Phase One capital campaign with funds it received through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. This, along with donors’ gifts, enabled the Parkhurst Field Foundation to construct a premier playing field, grandstands, a concessions stand, and a temporary secondary regulation field. This will allow two games to take place simultaneously while the foundation raises funds for Phase Two. The foundation also built all the necessary infrastructure during Phase One for future project phases. The next phase includes the construction of two additional fields with dugouts and lights.
Since the premier field opened in April 2023, travel teams from all over New York State have been playing games there on Sundays, and in July, the field hosted the All-Star games for Little League International’s district tournaments. “It has been used extensively already even with the limited capacity,” Karpinski said.
The New York State Baseball Hall of Fame opened across the street from Parkhurst Field on July 29. Former New York Mets first baseman, outfielder, and World Series winner Ed Kranepool attended the ribbon cutting. The founder and executive director, Rene LeRoux, chose Gloversville because of its proximity to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. He also emphasized being near Parkhurst Field, citing its tremendous baseball history. When the field hosts tournaments and Little League games, parents can take their kids and families right across the street to visit the museum, as admission is free. LeRoux hopes that visiting the museum will create lifelong memories for the kids and their families.
In the early 1900s, Fulton County was the world’s glove-making capital and played a significant role in baseball history. The J.A. Peach Company began producing baseball gloves in Gloversville in 1898. This was followed by M. Denkert & Company in nearby Johnstown in 1909, and Ken-Wel in Gloversville in 1914. All three companies were key players in the baseball glove manufacturing industry, creating improved models that major league players wore.
Karpinski started the Parkhurst Field Foundation after he studied the impact such a project could have on the community. He points out that according to statistics from the National Association of Sports Commissions, nearly 70 percent of children ages 6 to 17 play a team sport, and parents spend nearly $7 billion per year on youth sports-related travel. During a baseball tournament, families spend an average of $1,000 on lodging, groceries, entertainment, shopping and eating at restaurants.
Karpinski is already working with Little League International, an organization that manages over 200 travel teams, to ensure that the fields are booked to capacity. Once finished, Parkhurst Field could host 16 teams a week with 13 kids per team. This accounts for at least 445 attendees per week coming for three- to four-day tournaments for a total of 10 weeks. “That has a $1.8 million direct spend to the local area,” Karpinski said.
“Parkhurst Field is working great for tourism and economic development because it’s spurring more businesses to come into the area, and that’s going to build up that area,” said Ken Adamczyk.
The construction of Phase One at Parkhurst has already had a ripple effect in the surrounding area. For example, Creg and Jacki Reid, who grew up in Texas and spent the last seven years in Colorado, relocated to Gloversville and opened the Tex-Mex restaurant Mountain Mama’s Cantina just around the corner from the field in June 2023.
“Parkhurst Field definitely made it more appealing,” said Jacki about locating their business in Gloversville. “We probably would not have purchased the building if all that stuff had not been going on. It definitely pushed us to make that decision.” The couple is looking forward to connecting with the baseball venues. “We want our business to be successful enough that we’re able to give back to the community,” she said.
A developer is considering redeveloping the former Leader Herald newspaper building, while the City of Gloversville is actively working on potentially redeveloping a brownfield site across the street from that building.
“Parkhurst Field is working great for tourism and economic development because it’s spurring more businesses to come into the area, and that’s going to build up that area,” said Ken Adamczyk, economic development specialist at the Fulton County Center for Regional Growth. “When you have one cornerstone, everything starts to fall into place.”
The next step for the Parkhurst Field Foundation’s all-volunteer board is to raise the funds for Phase Two construction. “I encourage people to get involved, to join our board, to spread the word and to donate to get us to the next level,” Karpinski said.
Learn more about
Gloversville’s own Field of Dreams
at www.parkhurstfield.org.
No matter what the reason…
Fulton County has a beauty all its own. making it your ideal destination to call home.
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