On Tuesday, February 16, 2016, at a joint meeting of the Tryon Town Council and the Harmon Field Board of Supervisors, both groups voted unanimously to endorse the Harry Dallara Foundation’s plan for improvements and upgrades to Harmon Field.
After a presentation by Foundation board member Charles Dallara, Steve Parris, and landscape architect Mark Byington, Mayor Alan Peoples and the Town Council, and Chairman Benny Smith and other members of the Harmon Field Board of Advisors gave the Foundation formal endorsements to proceed with the project which will consist of bringing the project to completion—including ball field improvements, the splash pad, the statue honoring Harry Dallara, and the bas relief sculpture to honor the Tryon All-Stars, the African American semi-professional baseball team formed in Tryon in the 1940s. The Dallara Foundation is committed to raising $1.5 million for construction, landscaping, and other aesthetics—as well as an endowment to cover ongoing maintenance costs after the project’s completion.
These endorsements by both governing bodies are timely, in that they enable the Harry Dallara Foundation to pursue funding from local, regional, national, and international sources.
In addition to gifts that will come from family and friends, the Foundation will provide opportunities for charitable organizations, private companies, and perhaps even individuals to sponsor elements of the project that hold a special interest for them. Both the splash pad and the ball field improvements represent investment opportunities for those with interests in child development and health fitness. The bas-relief sculpture of the Tryon All-Stars is a perfect project to be underwritten by an organization with an interest in diversity, race relations, social justice, or the history of African-American baseball. Given the varied nature of the project components, there is something of interest for everyone. For a more detailed list of sponsorship opportunities, see the “Sponsorship Opportunities” section of this site, or simply contact Charles Dallara at charles.dallara@partnersgroup.com or Steve Parris at steve.parris@charter.net.
