story: 1952 Nat Bailey aerial

Check out this aerial shot!

You can even see the wing of the plane at the top of the photo.

This image is part of the VPL archives from 1952.

You can get a real sense of the changes in the area around Nat Bailey. Particularly when you consider the new Olympic sized pool and all the new facilities that are built in the land to the north of the ball park!

Please notice the Riley Park Community Centre isn't even built yet, nor is Percy Norman Memorial Pool.

story: Mr Baseball's extraterrestrial experience

Doug Anderson remembers a story told to him by “Mr. Baseball”, Bud Kerr, before he passed away. This was Bud's greatest memory of an actual ball game at The Nat and it is one of the highlights of Vancouver's baseball history.

photo from Tom Hawthorne's blog

According to Bud, it was amazing night at Nat Bailey when he was there for the game on May 28, 1962.

It was unexpected and came as a big surprise to all attendee’s that night as a fiery flying object appeared over the North Shore Mountains and seemed to be heading right for Nat Bailey Stadium. It may have been a comet, but to many it seemed to be a visitor from outer space and it scared the whole crowd!

As the UFO approached Nat Bailey Stadium, pandemonium enveloped hundreds of the spectators and all the ball players. Both teams fled the field running to the safety of their dugouts as the crowd scrambled for the parking lot – many choosing not to return for the end of the game. Bud said people called the police and the military but neither had any aircraft in the air at that night and couldn’t identify the UFO!

*Bud attended the opening game at the Stadium on June 15, 1951 when Capliano Stadium officially opened (it was later rechristened after Nat Bailey). Bud was a regular attendee for over 55 years of our beloved ball park.