Home 99.1 News Preparing to Honour a Hometown Hero

Preparing to Honour a Hometown Hero

Crews placing a statue honouring MLB Hall of Famer Fergie Jenkins in its temporary location at the Chatham-Kent Civic Centre. Photo courtesy of YourTV.

Chatham-Kent will be honouring a local legend this weekend.

Baseball hall of famer Fergie Jenkins will be in the spotlight for a day of celebrations as a bronze statue is unveiled at the Civic Centre tomorrow afternoon.

Jenkins played professional baseball from 1965-1983, during that time he was the first Canadian to win the Cy Young award. A premiere pitcher of his era, Jenkins was a National League All-Star for three seasons, and finished his career with a record 284 game wins and 3,192 strikeouts.

The festivities begin at 1:30pm with a parade making its way down King Street from Lacroix to Second Street. A ceremony in front of the Civic Centre will get underway at 1:45pm, including guest speakers and town crier George Sims, before the statue is unveiled.

The likeness is a replica of a statue that sits outside Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs.

A family-friendly after-party will then be held at the Sons of Kent Brewery on Adelaide Street. The first 300 children will be given a complimentary Rawlings Chicago Cubs baseball, as well as a hot dog and drink.