Limo Service in Westfield, IN

by Amy Porter | May 28, 2025 | Hampden County, Local News, More Articles, Westfield

Westfield author Dan Genovese will launch the third volume in his series on Westfield baseball history with a presentation on June 12 at the Westfield Athenaeum.Reminder Publishing submitted photo

WESTFIELD — Local baseball historian Dan Genovese has published the third book in his series on the roots of baseball in Westfield. “The Old Ball Ground: Volume 3 — Whip City Baseball in the Rock ‘n Roll Era,” covers the ’40s through ’70s, with the start of rock and roll in the background.

“I have a lot of memories with music and baseball and this time,” Genovese said, adding that he designed the cover after a 1960’s rock show — acid rock — psychedelic-era poster.

Genovese is launching the book’s publication with a June 12, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. presentation in the Westfield Athenaeum’s Lang Auditorium, where signed copies will be available for purchase.

The focus of Volume 3 is on Front Page Cigar, a fast pitch softball team formed soon after WWII and the Korean War as former baseball players returned from war. He said at the time it was difficult for baseball to come back.

Genovese calls fast pitch softball the missing link before men’s league baseball reformed. After the wars, the players didn’t have time to focus on playing, as they were busy working in factories, building homes and building families.

During that time period, fast pitch softball for men was huge. He said softball diamonds are smaller — real estate-wise — than baseball’s, which helped. “There was no men’s baseball at that time for adults. Super athletes that used to play baseball turned to fast pitch softball, and these guys were pretty agressive — not your beer-league softball.”

Games were played on weeknights and weekends at Jachym Field, known back then as Recreational Field, with a second level consisting of a softball diamond down the current left field line, and included a fence, lights, concession stand and announcer’s booth. It was said any night, you could expect a few hundred to several hundred people at these games as it was the thing to do in the summer — and these athletes did not disappoint.

Genovese said it was the mid-1950’s and 1960s and there was no NESN, no ESPN, no sports on TV. “It was what you did on a summer evening, listening to Elvis in the background on the radio.”

Slowly, the focus began to shift back to baseball and the kids growing up in the late ‘60s, and the players turned to helping Little League and Babe Ruth grow. A chapter in Volume 3 focuses on the development of Little League, Babe Ruth and American Legion, and on a few exceptional teams that were around in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, after fast pitch softball began to fade, and then faded out.

The book also covers the Westfield High School state championship team of 1967, the only state championship for the city.

Genovese said he first started Volume 3 during COVID-19, when there wasn’t much to do. “I reached out to a lot of people,” he said. “Many of these subjects are still with us, and I was able to do person-to-person interviews, versus the earlier books, where everyone was gone and I only had newspapers and microfilm to work with.

“This was really fun. I got to meet with and speak to many of my subjects, and their family members, too, sons and daughters who came forth with information and photos,” he said.

Genovese’s first two volumes on Westfield baseball history, “The Old Ball Ground — Volumes 1 & 2,” were published in the early 2000s, and inspired by Harold Seymour’s “The Early Years.” Volume 1 covers the evolution of the game of baseball in Westfield and the hilltowns and Westfield’s only two natives to play in the major leagues and town teams up to 1900, while Volume 2 picks up where Volume 1 ends with more town teams, barnstormers, ballfields and notable ball players up to about World War II. A very limited number of Volumes 1 & 2 will be available at the presentation on June 12 in Westfield Athenaeum. All of the books are for sale for $20.

Genovese’s interest in baseball is not just academic. “I was born in Westfield, and played ball in Westfield in Little League, Babe Ruth and American Legion,” he said. He also played varsity baseball at Westfield High School and at American International College.

Today, he plays in three different men’s baseball leagues and with the Westfield Wheelmen, a vintage team he formed that plays baseball by the rules of the 19th century in replica uniforms.

Genovese said the Wheelmen was a team that existed in 1986, named after the bicycle factory that made hi-wheeled bicycles when they first came out. He said one of their players rode a hi-wheeled bicycle in vintage uniform in the Westfield 350 parade from Westfield State University to downtown, with the Wheelmen behind him in a horse-drawn carriage.

Genovese said the Westfield Wheelmen used to play a lot in Westfield, but every year it gets to be a challenge to find a field that is not taken. They now play home games in Suffield, Conn. on Hilltop Farm, and on the road in places like Fleischmanns, New York, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and Providence, Rhode Island.

Genovese is also in the Western Mass Baseball Hall of Fame. “I’d like to think it’s for my playing ability, but in reality it’s for my research, publishing, presentation and development of the Wheelman. I’m more of a researcher and a presenter,” he said.

Genovese said he is also a fan, specifically a Boston Red Sox fan. “What’s interesting — the first book was published in 2004 and they won the World Series. The second book in 2007 — and they won the world series. I’m just saying, Volume 3 — this could be the year again, we’ll see — but it’s a good omen,” he said.

Any businesses or stores interested in selling copies of “The Old Ball Ground: Volume 3 — Whip City Baseball in the Rock ‘n Roll Era,” may contact Genovese at 1961genovese@gmail.com.

Sponsored by Blades Audio Video

Earlier this year, with the announcement of Westfield Washington Schools Superintendent Paul Kaiser’s retirement, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Dr. John Atha was appointed to the position, officially starting July 1, 2025.

Atha has been an educator for more than three decades, serving as a teacher, coach, principal and assistant superintendent in Noblesville Schools, Bishop Chatard High School, Avon Community School Corporation, St. Theodore Guerin High School and, for the past four years, with Westfield Washington Schools.

He hopes to continue some of the momentum already in progress at Westfield and plans for the future success of the district, too.

“We want to continue to focus on our core mission, which is learning, but we’ve also recently completed what we call the Life Ready Shamrock Academy. It focuses on three areas: academics, careers and wellness. An educated workforce is the best workforce, so we not only want to prepare our students academically but with employability skills and the soft skills they will need in the future,” Atha said.

As the fastest-growing city in the state, Atha said that also makes them the fastest-growing school district, and they will continue building a master strategic plan for the projected growth.

Currently, the district welcomes more than 10,000 students. In the past four years, it has grown by more than 1,700 students and, with the new neighborhoods coming in, they expect to serve 16,000 to 18,000 students in the next 20 to 25 years.

“We need to make sure we have the facilities, but that’s probably the easy part. The difficult part is to ensure that we continue to hire the best. We believe we have some of the best educators in the state, if not the country, and as you grow, you need to continue to attract the best and retain the best, so that will be another focus of ours,” Atha said.

As a coach and the assistant superintendent overseeing professional learning communities and collaborative team leaders, Atha knows the importance of supporting teachers and offering continued professional development to create an atmosphere welcoming to both teachers and students.

His father was also a coach and school administrator. It provided Atha with a unique way of looking at leadership.

“My dad raised me to be a great teammate, and he taught me that everybody needs a coach, so we try to provide our teachers in each school with a coach that supports them and helps them get better each day,” Atha said. “I think that’s what I was meant to do. Instead of coaching athletic teams now, I coach principals and help coach teachers so they can be the best version of themselves.”

He said teaching is a profession that doesn’t often provide immediate feedback, recalling a young student delivering his valedictorian speech several years ago.

“I taught advanced algebra at the middle school, and five years later, one of my students graduated valedictorian. He mentioned me in his speech, and I happened to be at the commencement,” Atha said. “It took five years to hear that feedback, so there’s definitely a joy in seeing former students and where they are today. There’s a retired superintendent that said, ‘You don’t get to choose what students remember,’ so the goal is to stay focused on the positive and create memories that send them in a positive direction.”

Most of all, Atha is looking forward to collaborating and partnering with leadership in the community, staff at the Westfield Washington Schools and those at home, too.

“We know parents and caregivers are the first educators of their kids, and it’s our job to partner with them in that endeavor to provide support, especially in those academic areas,” Atha said. “We want to create a strong community with a sense of belonging for all of our families to feel welcomed, and the key to that is building successful relationships and preparing our students for the future.”

BUSINESS

MyCentralJersey.com

WESTFIELD – Anastasia Harrison, owner of local architecture and design studio AHD&Co, has a new venture – Heirloom, a bespoke home concept store which opened April 4 dowtown.

Located below the AHD&Co offices at 112 Elm St., Heirloom blends design and modern functionality through furnishings, gifts, and curated design experiences.

Bridging the gap between bespoke interior design and curated retail, Heirloom offers a selection of customizable furnishings, lighting, antiques, rugs, art, linens, and home gifts. With brands ranging from Currey & Company to Vanguard, Heirloom features seasonal vignettes that display its offerings in styled living environments to help customers visualize their designs.

“Every piece tells a story, reflecting the beauty of craftsmanship and the art of creating a home that is as unique as the people who live in it,” Harrison said in a press release. “Whether designing from scratch or refreshing a space, I invite people to discover design with purpose at Heirloom.”

Heirloom fosters collaborations with local artists, makers, and small businesses. Ricardo Roig of Roig Collection is partnering with Heirloom to bring a custom collection of exclusive artworks to the store. Roig is a contemporary fine artist with galleries in Westfield and Hoboken whose work has been showcased at the W Hoboken Hotel and in Ritz-Carlton residences across the East Coast.

Michelle Weintraub, a local health and wellness professional and founder of Forevergreen, offers a line of handcrafted candles made from all-natural, organic ingredients.

Beyond its retail offerings, Heirloom serves as a dual-purpose resource hub and networking venue for the local community, designers, architects, and stylists. In addition to offering tailored solutions for clients, Heirloom will host ongoing professional programming events – from industry talks to collaborative workshops – to encourage community and innovation.

Store hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday: and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.

Brad Wadlow is a staff writer for MyCentralJersey.com

Mayor Michael McCabe, flanked by state Sen. John Velis and Community Development Director Peter Miller announed at a press conference on Friday the news of Jupiter Power’s withdrawal of its Streamfield Energy proposal in Westfield.Reminder Publishing photo by Amy Porter

WESTFIELD — At an April 25 press conference, Mayor Michael McCabe, joined by state Sen. John Velis and Community Development Director Peter Miller announced what he said would be good news for the residents of Westfield and surrounding communities.

“After months of communication and consideration, I am very pleased to announce that Jupiter Power has withdrawn their proposal for a battery energy storage site in the city of Westfield,” McCabe said.

The Streamfield Battery Energy Storage Site proposed by Jupiter Power overlapped the Barnes Aquifer, which has a recent and costly history of PFAS contamination. The project caused an outpouring from residents in Westfield and neighboring communities, who voiced their opposition to the plan at meetings and in other public forums.

The mayor said he had received a brief statement from the company that morning that also followed a recent meeting he had with Miller, Velis (D-Westfield) and Jack Godshall, chief financial officer of Jupiter Power, that he shared at the press conference.

“Jupiter Power has a broad portfolio of projects in active development across the United States, and is consistently evaluating which projects to continue to invest in and advance. While we know that the Streamfield project would bring many economic and grid resiliency benefits to the region, and are of course disappointed with the outcome, Jupiter Power has now made the business decision to terminate the Streamfield project and focus development efforts elsewhere,” the statement from Godshall read.

McCabe said he had been impressed in that final meeting with the company at how much they had listened to Westfield.

“City Council President John Beltrandi, state Sen. John Velis, [state] House Rep. Kelly Pease and I have been meeting and speaking with the company over the past few months. I am happy to report that the meetings were congenial and achieved the transparency necessary for Jupiter to come to this conclusion,” McCabe said.

Velis said before the last meeting with Jupiter Power, he had expected “a full-on brawl. I give them credit. They listened in a collaborative manner and were cognizant of Westfield’s history.”

Velis said he was also impressed by the number of emails and phone calls his office received on this matter, and the people who came together in opposition.

“I would like to thank our City Council, especially councilors Dan Allie and Kristen Mello for getting the word out to our constituents and to those residents who answered the call and wrote letters, attended meetings and otherwise voiced their concerns to the [Department of Public Utilities] Siting Board. There is no doubt that vocal public discourse contributed to Jupiter Power’s decision to withdraw,” McCabe said.

“In my 40 years in public service, I never saw an issue like this that was unanimously panned. Nobody was in favor, they were 100% opposed,” McCabe said.

“The protection of our city’s natural resources should be paramount in all our decision-making processes and to that end we are very pleased with this development,” he added.