The public will get its first look at the new Majestic Park baseball complex on Aug. 27, during the opening day of Hot Springs Baseball Weekend.
Guided tours of the new baseball complex and a community game of catch will be offered Friday, Aug. 27, on the opening day of the 2021 Hot Springs Baseball Weekend, Visit Hot Springs said in a news release.
The Majestic Park sneak peek will be from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public, according to Visit Hot Springs CEO Steve Arrison.
"We're making tremendous progress on construction at Majestic Park, and what better time to let our community see what we are creating down at Carson and Belding streets in what will be the premier baseball facility in the region when we open in the fall?", Arrison said in a news release.
"Baseball Weekend is the perfect occasion for us to show what has been done already."
Majestic Park General Manager Derek Phillips and Assistant Manager John Muldoon will guide tours of the facility, Arrison said.
"And we invite everyone to bring their baseball gloves and baseballs to play a community wide game of catch on the fields of this marvelous new complex before or after they tour the park," he said.
"We'll provide free hot dogs, chips and water for everyone."
The sneak peek will be the opening event for Baseball Weekend, which runs from Aug. 27-28.
Other events will include the selection of four "dream teams" composed of the "best of the best" of the hundreds of baseball legends who played or trained in Hot Springs, which Visit Hot Springs bills as the "Birthplace of Major League Baseball Spring Training."
Bill Jenkinson, an expert in the life and career of Babe Ruth, will be joined Aug. 28 by baseball historians Tim Reid, Don Duren and Mark Blauer in a panel discussion to select four "dream teams."
Team one would be composed of players who played competitive baseball games in Hot Springs, led by Ruth and Cy Young.
Team two would be composed of men who were either born in Arkansas or who lived part of their lives in the state. It will also include players who competed professionally in The Natural State. The team will be anchored by Dizzy Dean and Brooks Robinson.
Team three will include those who starred in the old Negro Leagues and trained in Hot Springs. It will feature Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige.
The final group, team four, will be drawn from those players who either trained or coached in Hot Springs, but never had the chance to play in competitive ballgames here. They will include such legends as Lefty Grove and Stan Musial.
At 9 a.m. on Aug. 28, a room in the Hot Springs Convention Center will be named in honor of the late baseball historian and Hot Springs community leader Mike Dugan.
This year's Baseball Weekend also will feature panel discussions by legends Al "The Mad Hungarian" Hrabosky, fearsome pitcher Rich "Goose" Gossage, base runner Andre "The Hawk" Dawson and Hall of Fame outfielder Jim Edmonds as the celebrity guests.