By Tom Hintgen

Otter Tail County Correspondent

During the early 1950s people in Otter Tail County stayed closer to home and attended many small-town baseball games. In those days television was just taking hold and many area roads were gravel.

As fans got closer to the baseball parks, in the years shortly after World War II, there was the aroma of popcorn and hot dogs that were for sale. 

During the 1950s, on Sunday afternoons, many fans spent family time at area lakes. In the evening they attended town baseball games at parks that had newly installed lights for nighttime games. 

“One year during the 1950s we averaged close to 1,300 people at each home game,” said retiree Harley Oyloe who played for the Fergus Falls Red Sox, state champions in 1950.

The year 1960 was the last of 15 years referred to by many as the golden era of Minnesota amateur baseball, covering the years from 1946 to 1960. “Town Ball,” covers those glory days. There’s lot of information about Otter Tail County baseball in the book.

“Old-fashioned small-town team baseball is the glue that holds many communities together,” says Tom Tomashek, co-author of “Minnesota Town Ball.”

He adds that small town baseball generates a great sense of pride and passion among its residents. That’s especially true for towns such as Dent and Urbank that don’t have high school sports teams. For them, the town baseball team is their only local team to take pride in.

The summer of 1960 was the final year for the Minneapolis Millers minor league team. In 1961 the Minnesota Twins commenced play at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington.

Fans at small town parks, similar to those watching baseball at major league parks, enjoy eating hot dogs and partaking of beverages while the games are going on.

“The best in Americana,” said one area baseball fan recently.