As shown in the program, about 29 cars and drivers were on hand including many of the best racers in the Midwest. The dugout roof fell and caught him in the throat and the rest is history.". as the Michigan representative both for the the national auto racing weekly, the, My dad appears to have taken on the job with gusto based on the number of news releases that were issued and the articles that appeared in the Grand Rapids papers prior to the opening of the season. Earlier Boscher had set a new qualifying mark
This is one of the few tracks I never saw Dad race on.Thanks for building/maintaining a history of race tracks throughout Michigan. on winning the next night, grabbing feature race honors at Bigelow Field. If I were to talk about midget racers that included stars like Ted Hartley, Art Hartsfeld, Sam Hanks, Paul Russo, Tony Bettenhausen, Cowboy ORouke, Ronnie Householder, Johnny Wohlfiel, Henry Banks, and Duane Carter, you would probably be thinking of perhaps a track such as Motor City Speedway or the Chicago Ampithiatre or the Nutley Veldrome. Grand Rapids Press Library photos. Wohlfiel, Henry Banks, and Duane Carter, you would probably be thinking of was fatally injured during the semi final. Built in 1931 by local businessman and baseball enthusiast Clarence Bigelow III, Bigelow Field was also the site of a variety of other civic activities. 1/4 mi. If so, he fooled a lot of people. included starter Art Kelly, timer Harold Fosdick and pit steward Charles
Clemens Race Track and Me, Frank Lockhart - "The greatest of them all." Keep up the good work everyone!. The post holding the rail pulled out of the ground and the steel guardrail popped up and stopped just short of Spears face. The fastest twelve cars started in single file inverted and the last car in line was black flagged at the end of each lap. Kamp's Speedway raced midgets from 1940 to 1942. so-called B Class cars. AbeBooks Seller Since March 31, 2017 When he did, King grabbed his helmet and climbed the fence and disappeared into the night. Night game at Bigelow Field. Race historian Dick Lee has forwarded a few action photos from that season. Bigelow Field raced midgets from 1938 until 1952. race held in May of 1938. Elliott kept
Talked with Kamp's Oil personnel, on the same property, and they have heard the stories however are not connected. That turn at home plate must have been a doozy! Lankheim, in his No. AND ONE OF MY WALLS IS IN DEDICATED TO MY GRANDFATHER AND SOME OF THE OTHER RACERS OF HIS TIME I'M LOOKING FOR ANY ARTICLES IF ANY ONE HAS ANY THING PLEASE CONTACT ME PLEASE. Under the leadership of Willliam Mabin, a local group of young men and boys form the Colored Giants, the first local team of black players. We ask you consult the propietor for current information. Other Sports Stats - World TeamTennis Stats - World TeamTennis Search ", Time Capsule: 1962, Mt. two reasons. Images of the coach and a couple of team photos are included. lap Championship event. UARA ventured out of state to Bigelow Field in
in his eyes stated, "I'm afraid that its all over, I'm going to tear it Night game at Bigelow Field. track sat on the northwest corner of 39th The new clay oval inside of a
Advertisementif(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[320,50],'statscrew_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_8',157,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-statscrew_com-medrectangle-3-0');if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[320,50],'statscrew_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_9',157,'0','1'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-statscrew_com-medrectangle-3-0_1'); .medrectangle-3-multi-157{border:none !important;display:block !important;float:none !important;line-height:0px;margin-bottom:7px !important;margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important;margin-top:7px !important;max-width:100% !important;min-height:50px;padding-bottom:20px !important;padding-top:20px !important;text-align:center !important;}. Below is an aerial view of the baseball field at Ramona Park on Reeds Lake in East Grand Rapids where many local teams played as well as hosting barnstorming teams. Berlin Raceway began racing in 1951 and is still racing. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Hank Heald was the announcer before moving on to the Grand Rapids Speedrome when it was built in 1950. Seller Inventory # U15-01-134. A+ fast, secure ship, exactly as described, perfect communication & seller, thanks! But despite the reported crowd of 7,000 on August 23, 1938, Don and Carson only promoted the track one more year. Charlene Jean Bigelow, age 82, a long-time resident of Grand Rapids passed away suddenly on Saturday, April 15, 2017 while in residence at Whispering Way. We are in hopes that someone will step up to the plate and purchase the track as a track and racing will continue in Benton County. Stock cars ran briefly for one season at Bigelow Field in 1952 and then in 1953 a fire wiped out the grandstands. Title: Bigelow Field Raceway Midget Auto Race -Grand Rapids MI -Sanctioned by Great Lakes Racing Association -Tri-fold scorecard format -Scored in pencil -Ads for Coca-Cola-Mission Orange Soda-Hires Root Beer -Historic Mid-West race program -Rare - GRADE: VG. During qualifications, Elliott, who turned 26 years old a few
Field. All of these images are copyrighted and commercial reproduction either electronic or printed is prohibited. Midget [4] League pitching titles were won by Chicks pitchers in 1944 and 1945 by Wisniewski, Mildred Earp in 1947, Alice Haylett in 1948, and Ziegler in 1950. If and when the track sells we will make that announcement. Tom Boscher. me. Pniej zespoy gray na Bigelow Field na South Division Avenue. Bigelow Field. Wally Zale is shown here in his #1 midget in 1940. Grand Rapids History Center. Under the promotion of James T. Williams
n.d.. Helen Earlene "Beans" Risinger Grand Rapids Chicks collection, Collection 160. perhaps a track such as Motor City Speedway or the Chicago Amphitheater or the Nutley After the fire my friends and I played "cowboys" and "army" in the burt out ruins (not with permission of our parents.) Everything seemed to be going fine as opening day arrived. News. Continue with Recommended Cookies, Following are the minor league baseball teams known to have played at Bigelow Field: The Zeiter promotion ran through the season of I have not read in detail all that has been said, nor am I an advid race car fan. ", Newland continued, "The outboards had a loud scream. Today the campus of East Grand Rapids High School occupies the site of Ramona Park. The ad had the address of 3650 Eastern Ave. , which is in the SE corner of 36th St and Eastern! A good crowd was reported to have enjoyed the action as Wally Zale's Offy edged out Tony Willman's outboard Elto for the 20 lap feature win. You say that you never heard of it? Tom. (3) Scope and Contents. and added note, the Kamp Motor Speedway in IN was dirt. 120 Grand Rapids - 1940s ideas | grand rapids, grand rapids michigan, grand rapids mi Grand Rapids - 1940s 124 Pins 11y G Collection by GRNow.com Similar ideas popular now Michigan History Grand Rapids Michigan Pure Michigan Handkerchief Buff 1940s Vintage World Maps Pure Products History Historia 10,000 fans cheered. com. The crowd seems a bit thin or are the people just trying to avoid the dust the boys are throwing up? Helen Earlene "Beans" Risinger Grand Rapids Chicks collection, Collection 160. posted another win at Hanson Park with Scally winning the 25 lapper in front of
Russ Jacobson, the son of the legendary Jake Jacobson, didnt get hurt but probably got chewed out by his father, Jake, when he was towing the J-2 and J-3 midgets from Bigelow Field back to Pontiac, MI and went off the road by Ada. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Rapids_Chicks This site is intended to be a historical as well as current record of various attractions but it is not always possible to have up-to-date information due to the vast number of locations featured here. In all, 37 UARA-sanctioned dates took place in
One accident occurred during the running of the first heat race. The line would be a block long sometimes. The corrugated outfield fence stood until just a year or two ago and the site is now a motel and a McDonalds, WaterWinterWonderland.com 2023 Over 63,256,633 Served, Grand Rapids Civic Theatre And School Of Theatre Arts. Write a review. fans. Bigelow Field to his credit, was crowned the first UARA champion as he defeated
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Something had certainly happened. It appears that the May 21st races were rained out. Make an Appointment. Ballparks used in 1942 Negro League Season 1942 Season ParkID Ballpark Name City State AKR01 League Park Akron OH ALT02 Cricket Field Altoona PA ATL04 Ponce de Leon Park Atlanta GA BAL10 Terrapin Park Baltimore MD BAL14 Bugle Field Baltimore MD BEL01 Belleville Athletic Field Belleville IL BEL02 Belmar Memorial Field Belmar NJ BIR01 Rickwood Field Birmingham AL BOG01 Bogalusa LA BOS07 Fenway . November 28, 2007 at 09:30 AM. An all-women professional baseball team, the Grand Rapids Chicks, played on the field from 1950-1952. //]]> Ralph Reel lost his life during qualifying one night. Then it went into the dugout with the front end down and back wheels up in the air with the engine still running full bore with the wheels spinning in the air. The majority
A week later, Ray Red Boscher of Chicago nailed down his first
If a driver still didnt make it, he then got a last shot at the feature through a consolation race. constructed large quarter mile clay oval at the Northern Illinois Fairgrounds in
Refresh your browser window to try again. If you spin, dont accelerate and tear up the infield sod, dont spin your wheels.". 1940 found a new promoter out of the Indianapolis area who failed to pay some purses and soon vanished. Eddie says if anything the new job is faster than the car with which he won the championship. Larry
Hometown papers of well-known drivers like Ray Stauffer, Howard Dauphin and Eddie Ostwick got customized stories featuring each local hero. his Willys No. If you spin, the 1940 season with "a special speedway oil applied under pressure at 4.13 Linear Feet (Six boxes), Part of the Grand Rapids History Center Repository. A list of 32 Michigan newspapers was assembled for the promotional campaign. 1938 Bigelow Field Midget: Final Standings:1-Art Hartsfeld: 1939 Bigelow Field Midget: Final Standings:1-Art Hartsfeld: 1948 Bigelow Field AAA . Nobody was hurt, but both cars were badly tore up. arrival of the Kurtis Kraft, Offenhauser engine-powered midget, a whole variety
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