Saturday, May 31, 1997
Sunday is Dyess Night at Prairie Dogs game
By ALYSON WARD / Abilene Reporter-News
The Prairie Dogs have arranged for a heavy military presence
at Sunday night's game. But they're not expecting trouble.
Sunday night is designated "Dyess Night at the Ball Game,"
a special night for Dyess Air Force Base families at Crutcher
Scott Field.
The night is a celebration of Dyess-Abilene relations and the
culmination of a nine-month fundraiser that will pay for a new
playground at Dyess Elementary.
The handicapped-accessible playground is a $40,000 project
built to honor the crew of Havoc 58, the C-130 that crashed Aug.
17, 1996, killing several Dyess crew members.
"We could tell the community wanted to do something (to
memorialize the crew members)," said playground chairman
Janet Ardoyno. "So we set out to raise money to build a playground."
The project has received support from VFW Post 6873 and the
Abilene Community Foundation, Ardoyno said, among other donations
to help the effort. But Dyess Elementary students have also put
in plenty of work of their own with a school carnival and a can
recycling project.
"The kids themselves had a very personal part of it,"
Ardoyno said, so they can feel the playground is theirs.
The students collected cans for months, she said, and on Texas
Recycles Day they paraded to the recycling center with the mountain
of cans they collected.
Construction on the playground will begin in November. It will
be called the Dyess Elementary Memorial Playground.
Sunday night at the ballpark will mark the end of months of
fundraising.
"I'm excited that we have the game almost in celebration,
to finish and complete it and honor our fallen heroes," Ardoyno
said.
Several events at the game will honor Dyess families.
"The primary theme of the night is to have a getaway night
for Dyess," said David Gardner, who helped coordinate the
event.
The base commander will throw out the first ball, and, between
innings, members of the different squadrons will be involved in
competitions on the field.
In addition, the Prairie Dogs are offering Fanflex coupons
to support the Dyess Elementary playground. For $20, fans can
get five tickets for reserved seats, with half the proceeds going
to the playground project.
Tickets are available at the Dyess Community Center ticket
office. The Fanflex coupons can be purchased at the game or ahead
of time by calling Janet Ardoyno at 698-8434.
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Copyright ©1997,
Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications
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