Westwood Little League Parade & Opening Day
Saturday, April 27, 2024 • 9:00 A.M.
Arrival at Downey School (8:30-8:45am): Westwood Little League baseball players and Westwood Youth Softball players should assemble at Downey Elementary School (250 Downey Street) between 8:30-8:45am. Please note that East Street will close at 8:50am. Please drop off your child to the right of the Downey School. Once at the Downey School, players should meet their coach and teammates. We will have parents and volunteers directing players to their team. Players should wear their uniform or will receive it at the Downey School.
Parent Walkers from Downey: Parents are welcome to walk the parade route. However, please wait on the sidewalk on Downey Street. Please do not enter the area where teams are assembling. Once your child's team enters Downey Street, you may then join the procession but please stay on the sidewalks while the players walk on the street. Our focus is to minimize confusion and ensure that everyone exits the Downey School field in a safe, orderly, and timely manner.
Parade Route (9:00am): The parade begins promptly at 9:00am. The route is Downey Street to Smith Drive to East Street ending at Morrison Baseball Field. Please note roads in the area will be closed from 8:50am to approximately 9:25am.
Westwood Police Car ends the parade Arrival at Morrison: Volunteers will greet the marchers and assist ONLY baseball and softball teams, along with their coaches, onto the field. Due to the large number of players, volunteers, and guests already on the field, we cannot allow other family members, including parents and siblings, or strollers onto the field. All families are welcome outside the fenced area. Please know that the players will be closely supervised by coaches and volunteers.
Ceremony/Events on Morrison Field {9:30am): WLL President Lenny Johnson will open the ceremony and Ainsley Grinley, a WHS student, will sing the National Anthem. We will observe a moment of silence for the dedication of a plaque in remembrance of Quinn Dyson. Select Board member Rob Gotti, and WYS President Paul Tartufo will offer a few words. Finally, Westwood Police Officer Brad Pindel and Westwood High School pitchers, Devin Hunt and Bridget Mulkeen, will throw out the ceremonial first pitches of the season and then the space between both outfields will open!
Activities/Refreshments/Merchandise {10:00am): Activities include face-painting, balloon artist, dunk tank, and a speed gun to see how fast you can throw. Complimentary snacks and drinks courtesy of Roche Brothers, Richie's Slush, and AMC/Showcase Cinemas popcorn will also be available. Food trucks, selling coffee, ice cream, and other items, will be parked adjacent to the DPW building. There will be baseball and softball merchandise for sale, music, and tons of FUN!
Seniors Game {10:30am): Please stick around after the festivities to watch a Senior Division (6th-8th grade) softball game.
Majors Game (11 :30am): Please stick around after the festivities to watch a Majors Division baseball game.
Parking: We strongly encourage those that can walk or bike to the event to please do so. If parking near the event, we ask that you use the Roche Brothers parking lot, specifically the spots that run parallel to the railroad tracks. Westwood Police will be posting no parking signs on several surrounding side streets. Please obey these signs. The fire truck and little leaguers need the extra space to process through. Note that there will be LIMITED parking available at Morrison Field along East Street as these will be reserved for vendors, special guests, and official town vehicles.
Who is invited? All are welcome at this exciting community event! Please join us along the parade route to cheer on the baseball and softball players, and at Morrison Field to enjoy the events!
What if it rains? At this point the rain looks like it will hold off and the parade will be on! If anything changes and we need to cancel, we will communicate via all methods of communication!