Craig's tour of renovated Shamy Shack

The recently renovated Shamy Shack will open for the first game of the Intermediate Shamrocks baseball team season on the first Sunday of the long weekend, May 18.

Craig Cuvilier is one of the volunteer members of the Hantsport Shamrocks Baseball Society. 

"Big guys need big room," according to Craig Cuvilier when he gave the blog a tour of the new facility. The new shack is 18 feet long x 8 feet wide x 16 feet high. "Volunteer Rick Shay did most of the work."


The cooks and clerks have more space. Trophies and awards are on display. The umpires have a  changing room. Until now they had to change in their cars. Since Zelda and Whitey Mclellan have retired from scoreboard duty, scoreboards are now locate on both ends of the upper storey of the shack. The announcers will now have lots of space with a panoramic view of the playing field.

Craig stands in the new canteen area, built as addition to the former canteen.

The announcers will sit here - with the flap open.

Interior view of one of the two new scoreboards attached on two sides of the second storey of the shack.

The trophies are proudly displayed. 

Finally, a changing room for the umpires.

Big changes since 1995! "At that time, the canteen was in the back of a Chevy S10 truck." The Hantsport Shamrocks Baseball Society and its volunteers sold chips and pop. They cooked hotdogs on a three burner propane stove. The school custodian Keith MacInnis gave permission for the society, teams, and fans to use the washrooms. And the society cleaned them afterwards.

A new facility was needed. The next Shamy Shack was built in 1997. Much of the original space has been expanded with the addition.

The profits from the canteen are given to the Intermediate Shamrocks. The average cost for the team is $12,000 a year. Teams in other towns expect their players to raise funds. In Hantsport, they play ball.

Money from the 50:50 draw usually covers the cost of the umpires. And society members keep the field in playing shape.

Inflation has hit the canteen this year. For the first time, the price of Shamy dogs will rise from $1.50 to $2. "Hot dogs are our money-makers."  Customers will continue to get a hot dog and a bun right off the grill.  With sauerkraut, relish, mustard, and/or ketchup. And pop. And chips. Etc. Some of the town's best cooks provide delicious desserts for sale at the canteen. All the money goes to the Shamrocks.

Hantsport is one of the few teams to have a ball return. When a ball is hit out of the park,
 it is thrown back to the announcer. He puts it down the tube and PRESTO! It's in the umpire's hand.

Some shack! Great work, guys.