Howard Palmetto Baseball & Softball Celebrates 60th Anniversary Reunion Party

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Ethan Shapiro

Did you grow up playing baseball or softball at Howard Palmetto?  Do you have fond memories of endless days and nights at the ballfields of Suniland, Coral Reef, Evelyn Greer, and Chapman Field Parks? If so, please join Howard Palmetto for a special evening to celebrate our 60th anniversary at Suniland Park on April 30th, 2022 from 5-8 pm.  Catch up with old friends and other alumni who have kept Howard Palmetto alive and well for 60 years!  RSVP for our free event by visiting howardpalmetto.com/60th

Since 1962, Howard Palmetto has been the foundation of recreational baseball and softball in South Florida.  Over one hundred and twenty thousand people have participated, coached, or attended games at our league.  Back then, our playing fields were located at Howard Drive Elementary and Palmetto Elementary schools, which is how our organization got its name.  We started as the Howard Palmetto Khoury League, adopting rules set by the Khoury League, the oldest youth sports organization in the United States.  

While much has changed since our founding in 1962, many aspects of our league remain the same.  We still designate our baseball divisions as Atom, Bantam, Midget, and Juvenile.  We’re now the largest recreational baseball league in South Florida with over 550 participants across five divisions.  We’re still an all-volunteer league with parents and grandparents coaching their kids’ teams.  Winning or losing with composure and class is still a Howard Palmetto standard.

Scott Rachlin, Danny Rachlin, and Ryan Potash, 2nd and 3rd generation Howard Palmetto alumni Kindergartner, Danny Rachlin is in his second season at Howard Palmetto. His father Scott and sister Andrea grew up playing baseball and softball with Howard Palmetto in the 90s.  Danny’s grandparents Bob, a Past President from 1991, and Joan spent countless hours coaching, scorekeeping, and leading Howard Palmetto.  Now they sit back and enjoy watching their grandson play in the Atom American division and their other grandson, Ryan, umpire games under the lights of Suniland, both 3rd generation alumni.

Most alumni have stories of excellent friendships made through Howard Palmetto.  I still keep in touch with old teammates from the late 80s and 90s. Some now have kids the same age and play in the same division! Greater than 15% of our parents played in the league when they were young.

Plenty of alumni still serve in positions of leadership, which helps foster the same positive youth sports experience that we all remember from years ago.  Dr. Bob Schroer is our Head Umpire.  Past Presidents Grant Miller, Karl Sturge, and Ken Fairman are still involved.  Ken even helms our Midget Division with some assistance from Past President, Gary Alvo.  Bob Hingston graciously coaches in our Midget Division. Frank Fernandez serves as our Bantam Division VP and runs a top-notch Coaches Clinic.  Joe Goldberg and Greg Haller, both Howard Palmetto alumni, serve as our Atom American and Atom National Division VPs.  HP Alumni Brad Lozano runs our Juvenile Division and our Aces program.  How many organizations have such a strong bench of alumni in positions of leadership?!

Please help us spread the word about our upcoming reunion on April 30th.  Learn more and see who else will be there at howardpalmetto.com/60th.  It’ll be a memorable event that celebrates the success of a truly rewarding organization for our community.


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1 COMMENT

  1. I played softball in the Howard-Palmetto Khoury League at Suniland Park in the late 60’s to mid-70’s! I also coached the girls’ younger softball league and was part of the first “girls’ umpiring group” (we had red t-shirts with the word “UMPIRE” on it – my first real job)! When softball started, each team’s uniforms consisted of white t-shirts with different colored neck & sleeve bands, along with a hat and a pair of knee-high socks with different colored bands on them (each team was a different color, no sponsors, no team names)! We mostly played on Field #7 (furthest from the highway, right field of the big Field #2, no bleachers), with all it’s potholes and patchy grass,… but what fun we had! The rest of my family also participated! My Dad coached baseball & was on the H-PKL board, my brother played baseball, my sister was a scorekeeper & great fan, and my Mom coached & was a great fan (she also played in the women’s softball league at Suniland Park we started in the mid-70’s)! What great memories from all those years!

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