New season of vintage base ball coming soon

FREMONT — See how base ball was played during the Civil War era, when it was first rising to popularity, with the Spiegel Grove Squires. This season, the Squires — the vintage team at the Hayes Presidential Library & Museums — have six regular season home games and will participate in vintage base ball tournaments and games at other sites in Ohio. Home games are played on the lawn behind the Hayes Home, within Spiegel Grove in Fremont, and admission is free. The Squires bring to life the sport when it became organized with standard rules of play for clubs. Back then, base ball was spelled with two words. The Squires are volunteers who have studied and learned the methods of play used in the 1860s, including playing bare-handed. Players are called ballists, and they wear period-style uniforms and adopt the language of 19th-century base ball during their matches, as games were called during the 1860s. The Squires are sponsored by Whirlpool Corp. Here's a look at this year's home schedule: • Saturday, June 21 — from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., exhibition play with kids during GroveFest at home; For information on GroveFest, visit rbhayes.org and search for "GroveFest." • Sunday, June 22 — 1 p.m. versus the Fulton Mules • Sunday, June 29 — at 1 p.m. with local celebrities • Sunday, July 20 — at 1 p.m. versus the Mansfield Independents • Sunday, Aug. 17 — at 1 p.m. versus the Canton Cornshuckers • Sunday, Aug. 24 — at 1 p.m. versus the Akron Black Stockings • Sunday, Sept. 7 — at 1 p.m. with the Sandusky County Raptors Special Olympics softball team People can see a full schedule by visiting rbhayes.org/squiresschedule. For information, call 419-332-2081, or visit rbhayes.org. Like Hayes Presidential on Facebook and follow on Instagram and X at rbhayespres and on Bluesky at rbhayespres.bsky.social.