A Fairfield resident is making sure Joe Nuxhall’s dream to have a field for disabled adults and kids to play baseball stays alive.
Nuxhall, who died on Nov. 15, 2007, wasn’t alive when his dream became reality in 2012 when the Joe Nuxhall Miracle League Field at Hatton Park opened in his home city. John Brown wants to make sure that dream continues with a daylong fundraising concert for the Miracle League at his River Road farm on May 26 over the Memorial Day weekend.
This is the second year for his Concert for a Cause hosted at the John Michael Brown Farm, which is named for Brown’s late son, at 6291 River Road in Fairfield. The plan, Brown said, is to host an annual benefit concert for various causes.
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“It was Joe Nuxhall’s vision, his dream,” said Brown of the Miracle League, which hosts baseball games on Fridays and Saturdays in the spring and summer for disabled youth and adults. “It is a very heart-warming thing to see.”
The field on Groh Lane is rubberized so disabled adults and youth of all abilities, including players in wheelchairs, can play.
“We’re all very touched when the community is gathering around to support our cause,” said Kim Nuxhall, one of Joe Nuxhall’s sons. “We’re very touched by that, and it will be used to keep putting smiles on our players faces.”
The Concert for a Cause will also support the Therapeutic Recreation for the Disabled, which provides recreation opportunities for disabled adults including the Friday night games at the Miracle League.
The band lineup includes, It’s Up in the Air, Pete Grimes and Rock-a-Fellas, Vernon McIntyre’s Appalachian Grass and Reasonable Doubt. Reasonable Doubt is Brown’s band that includes Butler County Prosecutor Mike Gmoser and 12th District Appeals Court magistrate and court administrator Ben Manning.
Admission is free for the concert that runs from 1 to 10 p.m., and beer, wine, soft drinks and water are complementary. There is an optional spaghetti dinner for a $10 donation. Funds will be primarily raised, though, with raffles, a silent auction and split the pot.
It’s recommended to bring lawn chairs or blankets as seats are the only thing not provided, Brown said.
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