Spring Valley Community Association

Fun Friday evening - bagpipes, ice cream and blast from the past! Nice to see original players of Ancaster Little League from 1956 & 1957. Spring Valley cup is still being awarded!
Thank you, John Ambrosio, for the nod to George Baker - early member of Spring Valley Community Association and important founder of little league in Ancaster.

What's the connection between Ancaster Little League (ALL) and the Spring Valley Community Association (SVCA)?

Well, David Watts, former Spring Valley resident and amateur historian wanted to find out. It's the ALL's 70th anniversary after all! After much sleuthing, David created a report for the ALL and shared his finding with us. Turns out, the SVCA was instrumental in providing the land the ALL still sits on today. Spring Valley dads (and also greater Ancaster dads) also helped clear the land and erect the first fencing.
Here is an excerpt of David's research:

"I also searched the Spectator for information on the Spring Valley Community Association. I also reached out to the current SVCA executive for any old records they might have of relevance. From them I received the most revealing document, being the report of George Baker in the SVCA January 1957 Annual Report. From what have I read, I would conclude that the real originators of Ancaster Little League were the members of the Spring Valley Community Association and its executive through the leadership of its Sports Chairman, George Baker."

From the George Baker's account in the 1957 SVCA meeting minutes (which we still have):

"In order to have facilities for these boys to play ball a tremendous amount of work had to be done on the ballpark. Finally, with the cooperation of men like Mr. Weldon, Mr. Hickey, Mr. Woof, and several Spring Valley fathers (also some dads from Ancaster) we: (a) levelled the entire park, (b) laid 400 feet of drainage tile under the park, (c) installed a new 40 foot fence backstop screen, which if purchased locally would have cost $450, (d) erected a new scoreboard, (e) fenced the entire field of play, (f) installed players’ benches and pitcher’s mound, (g) made a new entrance to the park from the Jerseyville Road."

You can read the full report here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ua-Y-203riCpY9UMBKTsIrq_Eu-s_x5f/view?usp=sharing

Can you spot the author in the 1957 team photos?

The year was 1949. Spring Valley Community Association wanted to raise enough funds to build a community centre. Who wouldn't want a brand new Studebaker sedan? The Studebaker company opened an assembly plant right in Hamilton Ontario in 1948 with 700 employees. The cars were stylish with chrome bumpers, lovely curves and beautiful interiors.
So a draw was held, money was raised, and one lucky gentleman won the car. We know the community hall was built in 1949, so we can assume the gamble was worthwhile although how much money was raised is lost to history.
The community hall cost $10,000 and was built in 3 weeks with labour being provided by neighbours.

The Spring Valley Skating & Mingling Event was fun for the SVCA to host this year. Hope all in attendance enjoyed themselves despite braving the elements. Luckily, most did not have to travel far!

Remembrance Day in Ancaster 2025

Ancaster Spring Valley arena canteen will be open by November 1st, 2025! Enjoy a hot chocolate and popcorn while you watch the game!