Unveiling of first memorabilia displays, inductee announcement set for March 3
NEWS Feb 21, 2019 by Sarah Hyatt Northumberland News
Ross Quigley, who has been instrumental in bringing to life the Cobourg and District Sports Hall of Fame, looked at some of the historical sport photos he has collected at his home. - Karen Longwell/Northumberland News file photo
COBOURG — For local sports enthusiasts, March 3 will be a day for the history books.
On this day, with a collection of local sports memorabilia and the first eight inductees, the Cobourg and District Sports Hall of Fame will truly come to life.
John Ovens, director of fundraising for the sports hall of fame committee, says the event will be the “official unveiling of the Cobourg and District Sports Hall of Fame."
The unveiling is set for March 3 at the Cobourg Community Centre from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Since 2016, when sports enthusiasts first rallied to discuss documenting the history of Cobourg sports, hundreds of unique memorabilia items have been collected for the project.
Since then, the group has been working to bring the histories of about 80 local sports to the public.
Several large cabinets and jewelry display cases have been donated and will be used for the memorabilia.
“There will be a theme for each of the eight larger cabinets,” says Ovens.
Girls baseball, football and hockey, will be among some of the first areas of focus for displays. The memorabilia collections at will be changed on a rotating basis.
The eight jewelry cabinets will show an array of local sports history and memorabilia, said Ovens. And with the combination of the displays and first eight inductees announced, he said the committee hopes this will be a special day.
In other words, sports enthusiasts are hoping the community will join them for the unveiling event.
“The idea is to keep local sports history alive,” said Ovens.
Last August, the hall of fame board announced it was accepting nominations for the first round of “worthy local athletes and builders.” The district area for the hall of fame includes Hamilton Township, the Township of Cramahe and Alnwick/Haldimand Township.
The official dinner to honour inductees is set for June 22 at the Best Western. This event will also help raise funds for the hall of fame project.
There will be some refreshments and foods at the March 3 event.
by Sarah Hyatt
The Cobourg Galloping Ghosts are the most famous team in Cobourg sports history. Managed by Fred Dufton, the Ghosts won eight Ontario championships, five after World War II. They were Canadian Dominion champions in 1946, 1948 and 1950. They were the first team in Canada to wear aluminum cleats and the second to wear white uniforms.
