Arlington Heights field restoration takes next step
Published 11:50 pm Friday, August 21, 2026
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS — Shawn Kingsmore wanted to lead by example.
The Stilly Valley Little League coach always pushes his players to never give up on a play, so when he saw an opportunity to advance to second base after a driving in an RBI single for the Stilly Valley Dads — also known as the ‘Dadgers’ — in their fundraiser rematch with Snohomish County Fire District 21 at the Arlington Heights Baseball Field on Friday, he wanted to show his players watching on the side that he practices what he preaches.
Kingsmore slid into second, barely safe, and rose to his feet with dirt streaked down his entire left pant leg. On a play that would spark a celebratory fist pump or clap from the typical player, Kingsmore instead opted to make an astute declaration in the aftermath of his aggressive slide.
“I won’t be walking tomorrow,” Kingsmore said, his tone more amused than regretful.
He wouldn’t be the only one.
In a matchup with more pulled hamstrings than pulled fly balls, the Dadgers hobbled away with an 18-12 victory to sweep the two-game summer set, but the final score was the least of either team’s concerns. With the help of community members in attendance, the teams raised $1,600 to contribute toward the restoration of the field, according to Arlington Heights Improvement Club Treasurer Laura Hofmann.
“Tomorrow I know that I’m not going to be able to walk very well,” Kingsmore said. “My ankle’s going to be swollen. My hamstrings are going to be sore, but it doesn’t matter, right? We’re out here to raise money for the kids and to bring this field to life, and that’s literally all that matters.”
With volunteers running a hot dog and chip stand and selling raffle tickets for a handful of giveaway items, the Arlington community came out to support the latest step in raising funds for the field’s revitalization, which is spearheaded by Kingsmore and fellow Stilly Valley Little League parent/coach Stephen Gillis. After the teams played through a monsoon in the first matchup on June 26, they were treated with a clear evening for the second game on Friday.
“So many of these people played up on this field,” Hofmann said. “So many of them. There are dads over here that played as little kids, and firefighters that played here as kids. Some of these people (in the crowd) played here as kids, and all the kids here, it’s just great. That’s what this field is for. That’s what this club is for.”
Hofmann estimates the total funds are up to around $3,600, a decent step toward the goal of $10,000 Kingsmore stated in July. With help from local excavation and landscaping companies, the Little League dads plan to tear up and resurface the entire field while also replacing the surrounding fencing and dugouts. With a targeted re-opening in Spring 2027, Kingsmore hopes to break in the new field with an eight-team tournament between the Dadgers, Firefighters and six other teams from surrounding towns.
That said, the main goal is to restore the field for Little League use. The field spent decades as the home of the Arlington Aces Little League team, and many residents hold memories playing on the same field in its heyday, including Arlington Mayor Don Vanney, who was among the spectators on Friday.
“All the neighborhood kids, I mean, I grew up just east of here, and we’d come out here every weekend and play ball until dark,” Vanney said. “… The neighborhoods, we’d take care of the lawn and people come over and mow it, and use the facility out front for the community hall, and it was great. We’d have crowds just as big (as Friday) for the Little League kids.
“It’s fun to see this. It’s nice to see it back to being used. … Our kids here in Arlington needed another ball field. We’re so restricted, and I wish we could find property where we could actually build some more ball fields for the kids because they fight for the use of this field.”
Vanney said one of his office’s projects with the Arlington Boys & Girls Club is adding lights to other fields around town in order to allow for more hours of use, and he’d like to see some local grant money go toward setting up lights at the Arlington Heights field once the next phase of the restoration is complete.
Snohomish County Fire District 21 Chief Chad Schmidt also holds fond memories playing on the field, and while his team of firefighters from Stations 49 & 50 are still looking for their first victory, they plan to help out however they can in bringing the revitalized field to life, including assistance with field maintenance and painting the new dugouts.
Practically the entire department showed up for the game. Even the ones on duty came to watch, but they had to leave mid-game to address a call.
“A lot of times kids and parents when they see us, it’s something bad, so it’s fun to be able to interact with them like this,” Schmidt said. “I hope we do it again, and I hope they raise enough money to get this field going and maybe make this a biannual thing.”
There’s plenty of funds left to be raised, but the turnout on Friday proved the community is showing up to make the new Field of Dreams a reality.
“That would be really neat,” Vanney said. “The old saying: ‘Build it, and they’ll come.’”
