ASESSIPPI BEACH - After opening to a limited audience in 2020 due to COVID-19, the Westman Border Fastball Museum is set to hold it’s ‘official’ opening Aug. 14 and 15.
The weekend of activities will highlight games featuring the alumni of the Inglis Nightmares and Border Selects, and a game featuring players from Saskatchewan versus those from Manitoba, explained Daryl Nernberg, co-founder of the WBFM.
The Museum located at Asessippi Beach and Campground started two years ago, when Rick Goraluk had an idea to bring together fastball teams, former players and their families from the past 60 years and have a reunion at the campground. As part of the reunion, Nernberg, took three weeks to collect fastball memorabilia from the teams that regularly played in tournaments on both sides of the provincial border.
From there a collective of sports enthusiasts came together to preserve the rich fastball history that has taken place over the last 90 years, creating the museum.
At the fastball museum, visitors can explore the rich past dug up by a dedicated team of volunteers.
Teams featured in the museum include the Colts and Braves from Langenburg, the Flames and Cougars from Churchbridge, the IMC team based out of Esterhazy, the Esterhazy Extreme, and the Atwater Steelers. Teams from Calder, Gerald, MacNutt and Wroxton are also forever preserved in the museum; and more than 130 teams who played border fastball between Manitoba and Saskatchewan are on the museum’s list. There are over 50 teams at the moment with donated memorabilia and that number will grow.
Most recently a jersey was donated by the Rhein Rockets, along with a trophy the team won several years ago.
The campground and museum can be found 20 KMs north of Russell, MB.
