LOYAL. LOCAL. COMPLETE.
Paris Little League Baseball was initially organized in 1953 when a group of sports-minded men gathered at the Paris American Legion to discuss the formulation of Paris Little League Baseball.
Spearheading the initial establishment process was Deak Sweeley, Paris High School Athletic Director, and a group of dedicated men convinced that Paris would support the establishment of Little League Baseball. W.C. Gaffany was elected the first president of Paris’ Little League and the development of the league blossomed.
Finding sponsors and a place to play became the initial order of business. The first team sponsors and their head coaches were Russ Hess, coaching Moose; Barney Moore coaching Paris American Legion; Lyle Jennings coaching Knights of Columbus and Jim Dillion coaching the Elks.
The Paris American Legion owned 23 acres around their home at the north edge of Paris, and the Legion Board graciously allowed the new Little League organization to build baseball diamonds and play games on Legion property.
Although the Little League diamond has been remodeled and upgraded many times since 1953, the location on the American Legion property has not changed. Paris Little League was chartered as a not-for-profit corporation in June 1963.
From this early beginning, the Little League has had many men step forward and assume the position of president. Although many men served one or two years as president there have been several who held the position of president for at least three years. Those men include; WC Gaffany, three years; Melvin Berl, four years; Joel Osborne, three years; Harry Frost, eight years; Harry Hughes, seven years; Tony Peel, three years; Andy Bess, five years; Matt Colvin, six years and Levi Ray, four years.
In 1965, The Paris Little League Baseball established an Effort Award in honor of Charles D Smith Jr, a local Paris merchant who was dedicated to the program. The award has been given yearly since 1965 to a 12-year-old Little League player who shows the greatest effort and value to his team. Sixty-one players have won the award since its inception.
As the program developed in interest and participation, it was obvious to the Paris Youth Baseball Board of Directors that another Little League field was needed. It was the desire of the board to locate any new diamond in a close proximity to the existing Little League fields on Paris American Legion property, but no additional property on the Legion property was available.
In 1990, discussions began with Kermit Spear, owner of The Rural King farm store. After an appraisal of the west 300 feet of the Rural King property, Mr. Spear generously gave this west 300 feet for building a second Little League diamond. Work started immediately.
Illinois Cereal Mills, Inc supplied all the pipes for building the diamond while the Frost family did all the erection and welding. Edgar Electric supplied equipment and volunteer help to erect lights on the diamond and Larry Kirby and his crew of high school students built the concession stand/equipment building.
The Rural King Diamond was ready for play starting the 1991 season. New LED field lighting was incorporated in 2024 to replace the old incandescent lighting.
At the end of the 2003 season, The Paris Youth Baseball Board of Directors, with the approval of the Paris American Legion Board, named the original Little League field Frost Field, after Harry Frost and his family who continue to be dedicated to the program.
The infield was converted to a grass infield during the presidency of Andy Bess. Permanent bleachers were installed in 2016 and LED field lighting was added in 2023. The field continues to be one of the best Little League fields in this area.
The Paris Little League Baseball organization has remained a strong fixture in the community since 1953, providing summer recreational baseball for area youth. Throughout the years, many dedicated volunteers have spent their time and purchased equipment to keep Little League Baseball viable in the Paris Community.