Ohio Village Muffins
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The Ohio Village Muffins is a group of vintage base ball players supported by the Ohio Historical Society in Columbus, Ohio, presenting the game of base ball (spelled as two words in the 19th century) according to the rules and customs of the 1860-era, wearing uniforms and using equipment representative of that period. The 1860-style matches also reflect the language, customs, sportsmanship, good manners, and gentlemanly behavior associated with that era.
The Muffins were established in 1981 at Ohio Village, a recreation of a typical Civil War-era Ohio community on the grounds of the Ohio Historical Center at I-71 and 17th Avenue. From April through November each season, the Muffins play an ambitious schedule of approximately fifty games. Home games are held on Muffin Meadow at Ohio Village. Away games take the Muffins to various communities throughout Ohio playing matches with other vintage clubs and with local community teams at various events such as bicentennials, heritage days celebrations, festivals, and fairs. In recent seasons the Muffins have traveled east to New York, west to Colorado, north to Minnesota, and south to Virginia while providing an educational and entertaining experience for participants and spectators.
[edit] Special events
Each Labor Day weekend, the Muffins and Diamonds host the Ohio Cup Vintage Base Ball Festival, a gathering of 20-25 vintage teams in period uniforms from all over Ohio and several other states. The assembled teams play matches on three fields from morning to evening on Saturday and Sunday. The Ohio Cup Festival is a colorful, family-friendly, and educational event featuring exhibits and refreshments. The event is the oldest and largest gathering of vintage base ball teams in the nation and is a highlight of the vintage base ball season.
Along with the vintage baseball program at Old Bethpage on Long Island, which also began in 1981, the Muffins are the co-originators of the sport of vintage base ball and have been instrumental in helping with the establishment of many other vintage teams. Today there are approximately 200 teams in the United States and Canada playing vintage base ball . Information about the Muffins and Diamonds vintage base ball program at the Ohio Historical Society is available on club's website at www.ohiovillagemuffins.org. Information about the sport of vintage base ball and other vintage teams can be found at the website of the Vintage Base Ball Association at www.vbba.org.
The vintage base ball program at the Ohio Historical Society includes the Ohio Village Diamonds, a successful women’s team which plays base ball according to the rules and customs of 1860. The Diamonds also play an energetic schedule of home and road games.
