If you grew up in Columbia, chances are you played a sport or attended a community event at Glatfelter Memorial Field. The memories of times spent at the field, located at 1249 Lancaster Ave., helped generate support for a gate restoration project that began in 2021. The Glatfelter Memorial Field Trust board of directors now seeks your help in completing the restoration, with donations sought for a plaque that will be unveiled at the entrance to the gate during a dedication ceremony on Sunday, June 4, at 2 p.m. Donations of $1,000 and over will be recognized on the plaque, which will stand to the left of the gate as visitors enter the park. The deadline for donations is Tuesday, Feb. 28.

Robin Gamby, a member of the board of directors, emphasized that the committee will happily accept donations of any size to support the project. To date, over 78% of the project is funded, she stated, explaining that although the gate is complete, money is still needed to cover the costs of the restoration.

The brick entrance to the park was built in 1937 by the Glatfelter family in honor of Lt. Richard Glatfelter, a graduate of Columbia High School and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He died in a car accident during his first assignment at Fort Dix, N.J. His father, David L. Glatfelter, donated the land to memorialize his son. The field was built by the Works Progress Administration during the Depression. At that time, in addition to the main gate, a grandstand was constructed, and the grading of a football field, a baseball field and tennis courts was completed. Landscaping on the grounds included dwarf maple trees and large sycamore trees, many of which still stand today. The property currently includes five baseball fields, a football field, tennis courts that have been converted into a street hockey rink, a track and a pavilion. Since the early 1960s, the field has also served as the home of CBAA.

Along with Gamby, members of the board include Bill Kloidt, Kevin Kraft, Carl Glatfelter and Andy Ohrel. Audrey Kuhn is the honorary chairperson of the fund drive. In addition to the fund drive for the plaque, the group will hold a Food Truck Extravaganza and Old-Fashioned Day on Saturday, May 6, at the field, as well as a golf outing in September. Both will be fundraisers for the project.

To make a donation or for more information about the restoration project, contact the board at GlatfelterMemorialField@gmail.com or call Kloidt at 717-201-5134.