Stickball contest highlights Thomasville celebration

THOMASVILLE – In celebration of Alabama’s Bicentennial, Clarke County is gearing up to showcase one of the most defining sporting games in the state’s history – stickball.

Thomasville will host Homecoming at the Boundary Saturday, Sept. 28. The Poarch Creek Indians of Alabama and ambassadors from the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians will present the American Indian living history exhibition from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Thomasville Civic Center. Admission is $2 at the gate. The event will feature history demonstrations, art and food.

Then, at 7 p.m., two teams from the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians will meet for the stickball game in the Thomasville High School’s Anderson Field. Admission is $5.

Stickball was more than a sporting event to Native Americans living in Alabama. The ballgame settled boundary disputes that otherwise could have resulted in severe loss of more than land. In fact, stickball once was known as Little Brother of War and helped to decide the fate of settlers moving into what would become Clarke County.

In 1808 the Choctaws and Creeks met at what is now known as Choctaw Corner. After a prolonged stickball match, the Choctaws emerged victorious.

To commemorate the event, the two teams from the Mississippi Band of Choctaws will play the first sanctioned stickball game in Alabama by the group which hosts the World Series of Stickball. It has been called one of the most hotly contested indigenous ballgames in the country.

“Homecoming at the Boundary will capture the history of sports in Thomasville and surrounding areas while reuniting the nations that helped carve our foundation,” said Thomasville Mayor Sheldon Day.

“We look forward to embracing the culture and history of our home state and the excitement of the event that comes with such a rich historic past.”