Sammy Balliet Stadium, Coplay, is once again shining brightly under the lights. .

Officials from Coplay Borough, Lehigh County and Pennsylvania gathered Oct. 2 on the field, 131 N. Eighth St., in front of a crowd of people to turn on the lights for the first baseball game in more than 12 years to be played there at night. The lights in the stadium were damaged by Superstorm Sandy in 2012 and had to be removed.

Coplay Mayor Steve Burker was the emcee for the event. He opened by saying a few words about what the lights and the stadium mean to the borough of Coplay.

Burker then introduced state Sen. Nick Miller, D-14th; former Coplay Legion player Ray O’Connell; Lehigh County Executive Phillips Armstrong; state Rep. Jeanne McNeill, D-133rd; and Coplay Sports President Tim Grohotolsky.

After the speakers were finished, McNeill and Miller flipped the ceremonial switch to turn on the lights — much to the delight of the crowd. They then threw out ceremonial first pitches before split squad teams from Whitehall High School took the field to play a shortened scrimmage game.

In early 2022, former Coplay Sports President Wes Christman and Seth Hoderewski met with Burker to discuss the idea of bringing lights back to the stadium. Burker then brought McNeill into the conversation to explore state funding for the project. In September of that year, McNeill announced she obtained a grant for $243,000.

The total cost for the new lights and other field improvements was approximately $750,000, so more funding was needed. McNeill worked with Miller, and together, they secured another $500,000 in state funds.

The grants, along with several thousand dollars provided by the balance of the Coplay Legion Baseball account that were earmarked for lights, were enough to cover the costs. Coplay taxpayers did not pay for any part of the project.

Sammy Balliet Stadium, named after legendary Coplay Legion Coach Samuel “Sammy” Balliet, and its lights have meant a lot to the residents of Coplay and the surrounding area since it was built in the 1940s.

Recently, current and former Coplay residents reminisced on Facebook about what the lights of Sammy Balliet Stadium meant to them. Several wrote about being able to go to watch baseball games with great players from Coplay and Whitehall high schools.

“It meant my dad and I might walk up to a legion game, hot dog and candy for me,” Eve Weber Smith said.

“The lights drew us to the field, where we knew we could hang out in safety with our friends. We could watch a baseball game or watch a movie,” Joette Marie Daniels reported.

“I think it means that the present and future generations will make the same memories as the past generations were able to make,” Christman said. “Bringing the Coplay community together, one night baseball game at a time.”

Play ball!