OLD ORCHARD BEACH — After sitting idle for more than a decade, The Ballpark property is ready for its first event.

Local economic group OOB365 is holding Woofstock, a dog oriented event, at The Ballpark on Sunday, Oct. 25.

The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with activities ranging from a rabies clinic to a dog agility show and a search and rescue demonstration. Dog owners can dress their pets up and have them participate in the dog parade and costume contest. There will also be animal rescue groups, pet supply vendors, and local retail and food vendors. The Old Orchard Beach Alumni Association will hold a bottle drive and a paper shredding station to benefit its scholarship fund.

A local volunteer effort has worked to transform The Ballpark property from an overgrown and neglected area to a site ready for a community event.

“I’m very happy to see this happen,” said Lucien Huot. He was a season ticket holder when the Maine Guides minor league baseball team played at The Ballpark in the 1980s. He also sang the national anthem during the opening day of one of the Guides’ seasons.

Huot will sing the national anthem at The Ballpark again Sunday, at noon, before a performance by local music group Hattie Simon and OOberFine.

“I’m looking forward to it,” he said.

Ballpark volunteers also hope to hear the crack of a bat again soon on the ballfield. In anticipation of bringing the game back, the saplings have been cut and loose wires from the old sound system have been removed. The irrigation system is working, the field has been leveled out and sod has been laid out, and volunteers Saturday were working on the warning track. A pitchers mound is expected to be completed in the near future.

“You can see it, it’s ready to play,” said Linda Jenkins, chair of the 50 Acre Wood Subcommittee of the town’s Conservation Commission. The group oversees the 50-acre parcel that includes the field, stadium and surrounding acreage.

Tom LaChance said he would like to soon see an informal baseball game played on the field. LaChance heads The Ballpark Group, which, under the auspices of the 50 Acre Wood Subcommittee, is a group of volunteers committed to renovating the field and stadium.

“We have to play ball before the snow falls,” said Jenkins.

Restrooms will be ready for use at this Sunday’s event. Renovations are being made on the concession stand building and Jenkins expects it to be ready in the spring for future events.

The clubhouse, which once housed offices and locker rooms, and in more recent years a town haunted house, is also being renovated. It has been used for Ballpark Group meetings.

“It’s just amazing the amount of progress there’s been in 18 months,” said Town Councilor Robin Dayton, who has spent many Saturday mornings volunteering at The Ballpark.

LaChance said that at a recent Rotary Club of Saco Bay work party, there were more than 60 people volunteering at The Ballpark.

“You start to realize the support” the project has, he said.

Volunteers have included both local residents and professionals who have given in-kind services.

“The list of volunteers is endless,” said Dayton.

Town Councilor Michael Tousignant has been volunteering at The Ballpark, mowing grass and “whacking away at the weeds.” Tousignant said he was skeptical of the project in the beginning, but once he saw the support that the project generated, and the amount of volunteer work that has been put into the project, he became more optimistic.

“With that kind of enthusiasm, you can’t help but get sucked in,” he said.

Dayton said she hopes that Sunday’s event will bring people out to The Ballpark who have never been there or haven’t seen the renovations.

Jenkins said there are many possibilities for uses of The Ballpark, including music festivals, flea markets and community gardens. Community workshops are planned to discuss the future of The Ballpark property. She and Dayton said that they would like to hear input from town residents at these meetings.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 325 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.