GoFundMe hopes to raise money for a women’s baseball activity center

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) - The 1992 movie “A League of Their Own” celebrates 30 years this month, and its a great opportunity to get fans fired up about a future project for south Rockford.

A major fundraising effort is launching to help restore a 1940s Silversides Rockford Peaches-era bus as a centerpiece of the new multi-million-dollar indoor/outdoor museum commemorating the International Women’s Baseball Center. The museum campus will be located at Beyer Stadium Park, home of the Rockford Peaches.

“We need to have an international place, an international home for women’s baseball,” IWBC President Kat Williams told 23 News.

Williams says while there is still a lot to do.

“Professional baseball has a home, that’s Cooperstown New York, where the baseball hall of fame is located, little league has a home, Williamsport, Pennsylvania, where Little League Museum and World Series is played, women don’t have a home. Well they didn’t, but now they do,” she said.

Part of the fundraiser includes a GoFundMe initiative to raise $25,000 in small donations toward the celebration’s overall restoration goal of $100,000.

13 sponsors pledged over half the overall goal to date.

Williams unveiled official designs Friday for the first phase of the museum, the Activity Center, in a news conference.

Mayor Tom McNamara declared Friday, July 1 and Saturday, July 2 “A League of Their Own 30th Anniversary Celebration Days” in Rockford.

Six family friendly events are planned over the weekend including a ticketed Suds Bucket Bash, from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, July 1 at The Standard, 214 E. State St. Actress Megan Cavanagh, who played Marla “What A Hitter” Hooch in the movie and AAGPBL players will be signing autographs at the bash from 6 to 7 p.m. A limited number of $100 tickets to the bash are available at thesudsbucketbash.eventbrite.com.

All event information is available on the celebration’s Facebook page here.

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