Citizens rally round the field: former racetrack finds new tread as an athletic field.

Sixty-eight-year-old Howard Vincent will soon see baseball games at night for the first time in Manchester, Vt. This summer will mark the end of the renovation phase of what will become Applejack Field.

The four-year project began in 2002, when Vincent realized that Manchester was the only area in Vermont that did not have a lighted ball field. Even though the town of about 4,000 residents has six ball fields, the Manchester Parks & Recreation Department was experiencing scheduling conflicts with its youth and adult sports activities. "The existing fields haven't really had a rest in probably 15 years," says Ryan Scovil, the department's director.

Vincent, a former economist for the federal government, saw an opportunity to take a former racetrack on existing park property and transform it into a multi-use athletic field. The half-mile course was originally home to a 19th century harness, or sulky, horse race track. But once the track ceased operating, its fairgrounds and grandstand were left vacant, only used occasionally by residents.

By 2002, Vincent persuaded the town's Select Board to authorize the renovation project. At the time, Vincent was on the park and recreation advisory committee and began fundraising efforts to acquire the $500,000 needed for the athletic field.

"This is an area where million dollar houses are becoming the 'in thing,' so there are a lot of wealthy second home owners up here," Vincent says. "They like the feeling that they're part of the community so they're pretty generous."

The largest donator, Jack Appelman, gave $7.5,000 for the naming rights to the field. An additional $125,000 was donated by citizens. By then, the Select Board loaned $300,000 to Vincent to build the field. The money will be returned to the town through admission fees and the sale of billboard space.

The renovation of the racetrack is truly a citizen-driven project. The excavation, engineering, architecture and irrigation were handled by volunteers. "People step forward and just do it, it's really amazing," says Scovil. "Everybody was interested in the park, everybody wants to see it nice, and there's a lot of community support from it."

Preserving the history of the old sulky grandstand was also important to the community. The stand was lifted to provide a sound foundation, the slate roof was refurbisbed and the seats were restored.

By this fall, the athletic field will be completed, and the 70-foot lights installed. The field will sit empty for the next year to give time for the Kentucky Bluegrass to mature, but by fall 2006, Applejack Field will have plenty of visitors, day and night.

"There aren't that many things happening here," Vincent says. "So, athletic events are pretty big here."