Coinciding with the "Baseballogy 101" exhibition at the Alhambra High School Library, Alhambra, California, from April 3-May 26, 2000, the Baseball Reliquary will sponsor a guided bus tour of historic baseball-related sites in the Los Angeles area on Saturday, April 8. The tour, which will begin in Pasadena at 10:00 AM and conclude at approximately 4:00 PM, will include visits to:

• The Pasadena Robinson Memorial, the city of Pasadena’s monumental tribute to two of its most famous sons, Jackie and Mack Robinson. The permanent installation, across from the Pasadena City Hall, consists of two nine-foot-tall, 2700-pound bronze heads of the brothers. Also to be visited is the location of the original family house at 121 Pepper Street, where Jackie Robinson lived from 1922 to 1946 and which is marked as an historic site by a sidewalk plaque.

• The baseball-themed bronze memorial wall plaque dedicated to one of the game’s enduring folk heroes, Casey Stengel, at the site of his resting place in the "Court of Freedom" section of Glendale’s Forest Lawn Memorial Park. "The Old Perfessor," who helped launch Glendale National Bank in 1957, lived on Grandview Avenue in Glendale, with his wife Edna Lawson Stengel, from 1924 until his death in 1975.

• The remnants of homes in the hills and hollows of Chavez Ravine, the once-thriving Mexican American neighborhood that later became the home of Dodger Stadium and its parking lots. These people were a true example of that much-overused word "community," and we will attempt to uncover the reasons behind their displacement nearly half a century ago by public and private interests who coveted the land for its proximity to downtown Los Angeles. Lou Santillan, head of Los Desterrados (The Uprooted), which sponsors an annual picnic for former residents of Chavez Ravine and their families, will be a guest speaker. As we explore the unique history of this area, we will also view a plaque marking the site of a sacred burial ground for the city’s pioneer Jewish settlers, established in 1854 by the Hebrew Benevolent Society, the first charitable organization in Los Angeles.

• The "Baseballogy 101" exhibition at Alhambra High School. Leisurely view an extraordinary collection of artifacts from the Baseball Reliquary while enjoying a baseball-themed lunch provided (at separate cost) by, and with proceeds going to support, the MESA (Math Engineering Science Achievement) Academy at AHS. One of the highlights of this luncheon stop will be a guest appearance by baseball’s legendary "Peanut Man," Roger Owens, who will demonstrate the artistry of peanut tossing. Owens, who has tossed well over two million bags of peanuts in his 42 years as a vendor at Dodger Stadium, has made numerous appearances on television’s The Tonight Show and even pitched peanuts for Jimmy Carter at the former President’s 1977 inauguration party. Owens, who threw the ceremonial first pitch to open the 1976 and 1995 baseball seasons at Dodger Stadium, will sign a complimentary bag of peanuts for everyone on the bus tour.

• Farmers Market and CBS’s Television City, the former site of Gilmore Field, to view photos and memorabilia relating to the Hollywood Stars and a bronze plaque dedicated in 1997 to this historic Pacific Coast League club. Among the items to be viewed will be vintage Hollywood Stars uniforms formerly belonging to outfielder Frank Kelleher, one of the most popular players in that franchise’s esteemed history. This promises to be a nostalgic trip back to one of Los Angeles’ great professional baseball teams before the arrival of the Major Leagues on the West Coast in 1958.

        Our charter bus is equipped with television monitors, and a collection of entertaining and historic baseball videos will be screened while the bus is en route to the various destinations. Tour participants will also receive a souvenir booklet with detailed information on the sites to be visited.
        The tour fee is $25 per person (not including lunch), and $15 for members of the Baseball Reliquary. As the bus seats a maximum of 55 people, reservations are required, and full payment must be received no later than April 1, 2000 to hold your reservation. You will receive confirmation of your reservation upon receipt of payment.
        The bus will depart promptly at 10:00 AM from outside the Los Angeles County parking structure at 240 Ramona Street in Pasadena, one-half block south of Walnut Street, between Marengo and Garfield Avenues. Tour participants may park their vehicles in this lot at no charge. Return time will be approximately 4:00 PM.        For more information or reservations, contact the Baseball Reliquary by phone at (626) 791-7647 or by mail at P.O. Box 1850, Monrovia, CA 91017.