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Mayor Bowser, Nationals Dream Foundation Dedicate Bryce Harper Field at Takoma Community Center

Saturday, May 5, 2018

(Washington, DC) Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser, Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper, and the Nationals Dream Foundation dedicated the Bryce Harper Field at the Takoma Community Center.

“The state of youth baseball in the District gets stronger every year thanks to the community members, families, and players like Bryce Harper who are committed to creating bigger and better opportunities for our young people,” said Mayor Bowser. “Bryce’s generosity will ensure that generations of young Washingtonians can experience the joy of playing baseball.”

The $300,000 project was made possible through financial contributions from Bryce Harper and the Washington Nationals Dream Foundation, in partnership with the Bowser Administration. The Legacy Field project at the Takoma Community Center includes a full renovation of Field 2 (closest to the Aquatic Center) and the addition of a smaller, basic cut-out field on the north end of the play space.

“I am excited and honored to participate in the dedication of Bryce Harper Field at the Takoma Community Center,” said Harper. “Youth baseball was a very important part of my childhood. The game of baseball has taught me life lessons and shaped the man I am today. To give back to the DC community and have local kids play baseball on a field dedicated in my name is truly an honor.”

Bryce Harper Field is the Nationals Dream Foundation’s second Legacy Field in the District. Ryan Zimmerman Field, located a few blocks from Nationals Park at the Randall Recreation Center, was the first field completed in April 2016 as part of the Legacy Fields program. Through this program, the Nationals Dream Foundation renovates one youth baseball and/or softball field in the Washington, DC region each year.

“I am delighted to announce Bryce’s support of the Dream Foundation’s third Legacy Field project,” said Marla Lerner Tanenbaum, chair of the Washington Nationals Dream Foundation. “We know that when kids have safe, state-of-the-art facilities to play baseball and softball, they embrace the game and all of its benefits. With these fields, the Dream Foundation is helping to cultivate baseball’s lessons of perseverance, team-work, and the importance of physical activity among the DC region’s kids.”

Bryce Harper Field will accommodate both 46/60 and 50/70 styles of youth baseball play and will serve the surrounding community by hosting Senators Satchel Paige Little League games as well as other youth baseball leagues. The project also includes the addition of a baseball-dedicated play space located to the south of Bryce Harper Field.