The boys and girls of summer may now be found year-round at the Great Bend Sports Complex, where a metal sculpture was unveiled Thursday.
Seven life-sized figures of players catching, hitting and throwing baseballs can be seen in this 25-foot-long sculpture by Hoisington artist Bruce Bitter. The outline of a 5-foot baseball is suspended above them; the retaining wall at the base has metal cut-out letters that spell out: Great Bend Sports Complex.
Great Bend is proud of its new venue for baseball and softball, and with good reason. The community can also be proud of this attractive new sculpture, and other public art that has been going up, particularly in the last two years. Bitter and his brother Brent own B&B Metal Arts, which created sculptures at the airport and at K-96 and 10th St. in Great Bend. Local businesswoman Tammy Hammond donated a series of bronze sculptures that can be seen downtown, and the Jack Kilby memorial sculpture “The Gift” by local artist Chet Cale, now gracing the courthouse square, was funded by private donations as well.
Whether individuals support the arts financially or not, they can all enjoy these projects. They are in plain view, and a symbol of all of the great things that are going on in Great Bend.