The Boston Bloomer team was organized in the 1880s and brought to Forest Park in 1937 by Emery Parichy. The team was part of the National Girls Baseball League (NGBL), which was started in 1944. Though “National” was in the name, the NGBL only played in the Chicago area. The NGBL differed from the All American Girls Baseball League, which was featured in the movie A League Their Own. The NGBL annually drew over 500,000 fans by the late-1940s. Parichy Stadium was located at Harrison and Harlem (where U-Haul and Ferrara Pan parking lot are today).
The Historical Society of Forest Park will host a movie matinee of A League of Their Own and a special viewing of Bloomer Girls at the Eagles Hall, 446 Hannah, on Sunday, March 26 at 2 p.m. The event is free (registration is required, as seating is limited, at ForestParkHistory.org).
Jill Wagner
