09/15/2026
⚾️❤️ Well… our first Chicago Sandlot Classic is officially in the books!! ❤️⚾️
And I have to say, my heart is VERY full.
This whole crazy idea started because our kids love playing wiffle ball. That's it. 😂 They love grabbing a bat and ball, meeting up with their friends, making up teams, arguing about whether someone was safe or out 😂, and just PLAYING.
And somewhere along the way, we thought… why don't we make a whole day out of it?!
And that little idea turned into the Chicago Sandlot Classic.
Saturday was such a reminder to me that sometimes the simplest things really do bring us the most joy.
Kids playing ball. Friends cheering each other on. Parents hanging out on the sidelines. Music playing. People eating, laughing and catching up. Kids running around the park with their friends. And then everyone settling in at the end of the night to watch The Sandlot together.
Nothing complicated. Nothing fancy.
Just kids being kids and a community being a community. ❤️
To EVERYONE who came out and supported our first Chicago Sandlot Classic — THANK YOU!!! Whether your kid played in the tournament, you cheered from the sidelines, came for the food, listened to the band, stayed for the movie or just stopped by to hang out with us — you made the day what it was.
A HUGE thank you to 30th Ward Alderwoman Ruth Cruz for always believing in what we are trying to do at Chopin Park and for continuing to support these sometimes-crazy ideas of ours. 😂 Your partnership and support mean so much to us and to this community.
And Fill Jackson Band !!! 🎸🎶 You guys were SO GOOD! Thank you for bringing the music, the energy and the fun. There was something pretty awesome about watching our kids play ball while a live band played in the background. You were the perfect addition to the day, and we are so grateful you were part of it!
And then there are our VOLUNTEERS. ❤️
Guys… these things DO NOT happen without you.
There are so many things that happen behind the scenes — setting up, checking kids in, organizing teams, running fields, answering a million questions, moving things around, fixing things when they don't go according to plan 😂, cleaning up and staying until the very end.
You showed up. You jumped in. You did whatever needed to be done.
THANK YOU. Truly.
But most of all, thank you to our kids for reminding us what this is really all about.
As parents, I think sometimes we get caught up trying to give our kids these huge experiences and make everything bigger and better.
And then they remind us that sometimes all they really need is…
A ball.
A bat.
A park.
Their friends.
And the freedom to just be kids. ❤️
That's the good stuff.
That's community.
And THAT is exactly what we hoped the Chicago Sandlot Classic would be.
⚾️ “Heroes get remembered, but legends never die.” ⚾️
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for making our first one so special.
See you on the Sandlot! ❤️⚾️
