The refurbished baseball field in the village of Hobart will be dedicated in memory of Sal Mirabito on Saturday, June 17.
Earlier this year, Don Thomases, president of the Hobart Business Alliance wrote a letter to the Mirabito Energy Products to see if his father’s friend, Sal Mirabito was related to anyone at the company, a media release said. Thomases grew up on Long Island and his father and Mirabito were football coaches and friends, the release said.
Shortly after sending the letter, Thomases received a phone call from Mirabito Energy Products CEO Joe Mirabito, who told him Sal was a favorite uncle of the company’s founders and had fond memories of when he would visit Sidney, the release said.
About the same time Thomases talked to Joe Mirabito, the Catskill Mountain Little League approached the village board with a proposal from Clark Companies in Delhi to refurbish the field, the release said. Thomases called Mirabito back and pitched the idea of honoring “Uncle Sal” with a donation to help the village offset the costs of the project in advance of the Little League’s season opener. Joe Mirabito responded by agreeing to cover the full cost of the field renovation, the release said.
The league has used the field in Hobart for many years, primarily for T-ball games and practices, but has needed to use the field more while the league’s complex is built in Stamford, the release said. In addition to the new field, Catskill Mountain Little League board members donated their time to repaint the dugouts and prepare the snack shack for operation after many years of closure. Lasting Impressions Landscaping donated its services and removed large dead pine trees and trimmed trees behind the first base dugout, the release said.
The field, near the Hobart Activity Center at 8 Pine Street, will be dedicated before the 11 a.m. Little League game, the release said. Rich Mirabito, director of the Mirabito convenience stores across the region, will throw out the first pitch.