April 7, 2008

PHOTO GALLERY OF LITTLE LEAGUE CLEANUP DAY

LEWISBURG, Pa. -- Spring football practice is well underway at Bucknell, and some first-year members of the Bison squad recently participated in some "spring cleaning" in downtown Lewisburg, helping prepare two Little League baseball fields for the start of the 2008 season.

Head coach Tim Landis split his freshman class between the Danny Green Field and Smith Field, and despite already having undergone a two-hour morning football practice, Landis and the players were hard at work for about four hours on a Saturday afternoon helping get the diamonds in shape for the start of Little League season in Lewisburg.

The Minor League field at the Danny Green complex required the heaviest labor, as additional sod needed to be removed in order to make the dirt infield regulation size. Earlier in the week Bucknell civil engineering students used instruments to sight and mark the alterations, and the football team followed with a bulldozer, rakes and shovels.

Just days later, kids were back on the improved field taking ground balls.

Participation in Little League Cleanup Day is just one of many community service events with which the Bison football team has been involved under Landis. Some others include a drug and alcohol awareness program at Mifflinburg Elementary School, team members chaperoning a Big Brothers/Big Sisters picnic in Lewisburg, Lewisburg Community Pool Water Safety Day, participation in the Light the Night Walk to raise awareness for leukemia and other forms of cancer, canned food drives, highway cleanup and postgame autograph sessions.

The Bucknell football team will be back in touch with local youths on Sunday, Apr. 20, for the annual Family Fun Fest at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium. The event runs from 1-4 p.m. All youths in eighth grade and under are invited to the stadium to work out with the Bison. Stations include 40-yard dash, obstacle course, throwing for accuracy and distance and field-goal kicking. Kids can also tour the locker room, visit the press box and try out Doug Birdsong's radio equipment, get their photo taken in a Bucknell uniform and learn cheers from the cheerleaders.