The Santa Maria Valley Historical Museum and the Santa Maria Valley Sports History Club will be hosting an open house featuring Women’s Softball.
The Santa Maria Valley Sports History Club holds monthly displays featuring various team sports dating back decades. This month’s display features pictures and memorabilia from three women’s softball teams that date from the 1940s to the 1980s: the Guadalupe Rock-etts, the Orcutt Express, and the Santa Maria Valleyettes.
Organizer Eddie Navarro said that Santa Maria Valley may have its celebrities but there are many unsung heroes who aren’t as widely recognized.
“There were also a lot of guys who didn’t go to the pros. They had to go to work, get married, or maybe they got hurt. Those are the stars whose legacy we want to keep alive,” Navarro said. “I love showing these people off.”
Navarro said he was born and raised in Santa Maria and played sports growing up. He said he had great coaches who left a positive impression on him. He said that when he got into coaching himself, he wanted to pass on that positive impact they imparted on him, as well as the admiration he had for the players who came before him.
“I tell the kids who play Babe Ruth that 20 years from now there will be kids looking at your pictures,” Navarro said.
Along with co-organizers Ernie Corral, Al Ramos, and Joe Talaugon, Navarro hopes to one day create a Santa Maria Valley Sports Museum. He said he developed a passion for organizing the memorabilia shows because of his love of local sports, but seeing the reactions of the former athletes when they attend has made the effort worth it. “You see them, some of them may be in wheelchairs, and they just smile, and start pushing each other and telling stories about when they played together—it’s gold,” Navarro said.
Next month The Santa Maria Valley Sports History Club plans to host a football display.
The current show will include an array of pictures and memorabilia featuring players from the past; the 1945 Guadalupe Rock-etts; 1951 Santa Maria Valleyettes; and the 1976-1981 national champion, Orcutt Express. Come and enjoy this blast from the past as well as meet some former lady athletes who played on these teams.
The event will be held on Saturday, Oct. 22, from noon to 3 p.m. at the Historical Museum, 616 S. Broadway. The public is invited, the event is free, and everyone is encouraged to bring sports items to share for the day. For more information, contact Eddie Navarro at 720-3581.
Other sports news
• Get into the Halloween spirit and sprint into one of two haunted runs. The Zombie Glow Run takes place from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, at the Santa Maria Animal Center, 548 W. Foster Road in Santa Maria. The event benefits the homeless, sick, or injured shelter animals in Santa Barbara County. The event includes vendors, food, live music by Nothing But Trouble, contests, silent auction, adoptable dogs, shelter tours, and more. Grab your zombie glow gear and walk or run for a good cause. While on the run/walk course be on the lookout for the White Lady of Santa Maria, a local ghost who wears a grayish white robe and has been seen in the area, according to organizers. For more information, visit sbcanimalcare.org.
• The Elks Recreation is sponsoring the Area 101 Zombie 5K Run/Walk at 9 a.m. Oct. 29 at the Elks Unocal Events Center. This run features 12 Zombie Zones with multiple obstacle courses. The family friendly but spooky event will feature a performance of “Thriller” by the DPAC Dance Team, a costume contest, and an afterparty. Wear a fun or scary costume and add some fun to your run. Early registration is $35 for adults; $15 for children 12 years of age and younger; and $45 the day of the event. Add a trip through the Grimsley Haunt haunted house for $10 for adults and $5 for kids 8 and younger. A tri-tip sandwich lunch is available for purchase with pre-registration for $10. Call 925-4125.
• The annual Special Olympics North Regional Floor Hockey competition hosted by Special Olympics Northern Santa Barbara County and San Luis Obispo County is taking place on Saturday, Oct. 22, at Santa Maria High School in the gymnasium from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. More than 200 athletes from Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Ventura, Orange, and Kern counties will compete in this fast-paced and exciting Special Olympics sport.
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