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C M Y K 6 WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, SATURDAY MARCH 21, 2020 MORDEN ROSENORT CO-OP • Groceries • Hardware • Card Lock • Post Office • Produce • Meats • Bulk Fuel Delivery 15 PR 205 East, Box 10, Rosenort Ph. (204) 746-2041 Fax (204) 746-2128 info@rosenortcoop.com www.winklercoop.com #coopheritage Winkler-Morden-Plum Coulee-Rosetown STRONGER TOGETHER www.winklercoop.com #coopheritage Winkler-Morden-Plum Coulee-Rosetown STRONGER TOGETHER www.winklercoop.com #coopheritage Winkler-Morden-Plum Coulee-Rosetown STRONGER TOGETHER 1-877-977-0007 ONE IN FOUR WOMEN HAVE EXPERIENCED VIOLENCE IN A CURRENT OR PREVIOUS RELATIONSHIP Genesis House Can Help A shelter for women and children in crisis South Central Committee on Family Violence, Inc. 24-Hour Crisis Line 1-877-977-0007 Genisis House Can Help A shelter for women and children in crisis South Central Committee on Family Violence, Inc. 24-Hour Crisis Line 1-877-977-0007 MANITOBA COUNTRY VACATIONS A S S O C I A T I O N www.countryvacations.mb.ca With our wide membership you can experience everything from staying in an authentic Mongolian yurt to feeding baby animals and fishing. Individuals, families and groups welcome! MANITOBA COUNTRY VACATIONS A S S O C I A T I O N www.countryvacations.mb.ca With our wide membership you can experience everything from staying in an authentic Mongolian yurt to feeding baby animals and fishing. Individuals, families and groups welcome! 204-325-8941 Heart of the Pembina Valley! • www.pembina.ca A 1,500-square-foot space in Morden's Access Centre offers a treasure trove of memories of one of the province's most popular sports. 'C ome relive Manitoba's baseball past," the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame Mu- seum's website encourages. The museum boasts such highlights as authentic jerseys worn in games during every decade since the 1870s. You can even find the actual baseball thrown in a game played in Morden back in 1894. There is also a special exhibition of the 11 Manitobans who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (1943-54), which the movie, A League of Their Own, was based upon. The museum includes displays and pictures of the greatest players, teams, builders and umpires to ever participate in the sport all over the Keystone Province. "There's a lot of history here," says Joe Wiwchar, the museum's 84-year-old administration manager. "It's pretty unique. It's only one of three dedicated baseball museums in Canada." The others are the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in St. Mary's, Ont., and the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame in North Battleford. The main purpose of the museum is "to publicize the importance of baseball as an activity in the history of Manitoba going back to the 1870s," Brandon- based board chairman Morris Mott told the Winkler Times recently. More than 100 individual players have been inducted into the hall since it officially opened on June 6, 1999. Wiwchar, who has served as a coach, convenor and administrator since he was 17, was among the first inductees. The museum has even proven to be popular to visitors from outside Manitoba. "We've had people here from all over the place," says Wiwchar. "There was a reporter here from Japan who wanted to write an article about it a while ago. The president of the Little League in Edmonton was here and he was excited as heck about it. They're really keen about it." It's hard to put a finger on how many people have actually strolled through the hall because the museum doesn't charge admission, asking only for voluntary donations. Many visitors come during period breaks of hockey games held at the adjacent arena, Wiwchar says. "We're also riding on the backs of the fossil museum (Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre) downstairs," he says. "It's pretty popular and they'll come check out our museum after being there. I keep telling them, 'I have fossils here, too, and it will only cost you a toonie (donation).'" When it comes to asking the pro- vincial government for grants for the not-for-profit organization, the museum estimates it gets 2,000-3,000 visitors a year, Wiwchar says. "That's a low estimate because nobody signs the guestbook," he adds. "But I bet you half the people in Mor- den don't even know about this." That is rather surprising since Mor- den outbid Neepawa to get awarded the museum. Wiwchar was part of the group formed by Manitoba baseball historian Gladwyn Scott to initiate the hall of fame in Morden. "We're pretty proud of it," says Wiwchar, who still relishes working at the museum. "For the amount of money I'm getting, I have to like it." Wiwchar is also responsible for accepting and dis- playing many of the items found in the hall, but it's not always a pleasant task. "Someone donated a uniform that really smelled bad," he recalls. "I had it hanging in my garage (to air out) for awhile. Then, one day, I checked the pockets and found a pouch of tobacco. It really smelled awful." Morris Mott, Ron Arnst, Les Charles, Blaine Fortin, Andrew Halpenny, John Kroeker and Kalam Paull will be in- ducted as individuals at the 29th annual Induction Banquet held in Morden on June 6. Former inductee Jack Callum will also become the hall's first Honou- rary Life Member. The team category will include the Cardale Bantams/ Midget/Bisons (1971-75), the Carman Goldeyes Midgets (1994) and Juniors (1997-2000) and, under special teams, the Portage Athletic Midgets (1991 national champions). For ticket information, visit the website at mbhof.ca. Home Base for History V I S I T O R S C AT C H B A S E B A L L M U S E U M E XH I B I T S O N T H E F LY BY JIM BENDER PHOTOS BY DARCY FINLEY Joe Wiwchar (top left) is a Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame inductee as well as administration manager for the museum, located in Morden's Access Centre.

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