There’s a story that plenty of athletes and residents of Fitchburg have heard, though its validity has been up for debate for years now.
It’s long been said that Babe Ruth visited a newly-opened Crocker Field sometime in 1918, marveling at the venue alongside legendary Fitchburg coach Clarence N. Amiott.
Some 105 years later, the Red Raiders will get a chance to take in the sights at one of the ballparks formerly called home by Ruth and the rest of Boston’s all-time greats.
It became official on Tuesday morning that the Fitchburg High football team will host its annual Thanksgiving rivalry game against Leominster High at Fenway Park. With the change of venue also comes a change in time and date; the game will be played on Thanksgiving Eve at 6:30 p.m., rather than the traditional Thursday morning kickoff.
The longstanding rivalry game is one of four contests to be played at the hallowed Boston ballpark during the runup to Thanksgiving. TechBoston and Brighton will open things on Tuesday with a game at 5 p.m., followed by King Philip vs. Franklin at 7:30 p.m. On Wednesday, the action opens with Chelmsford squaring off with Billerica at 4 p.m. before the 143rd meeting between the Blue Devils and Red Raiders closes the festivities, moving east from the originally scheduled game at Crocker.
Fenway Park hosted high school football games in its infancy in 1912 and continued to do so until 1935. High school gridiron action returned in 2015 and has been ongoing since then. It also has played host to college football and various concerts.
Bringing the Twin Cities rivalry to Boston had been discussed twice before, according to Fitchburg athletic director Todd Robbins, but each time things fell through.
“The most important thing we’ve stressed through this entire process is that it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. We’ve been saying that over and over,” Robbins said Wednesday. “It’s been floated out there a couple time before, but it would be one school disagreeing or the other.
“This year, there’s been massive construction going on around Crocker Field and with the turf still being natural grass, it probably wouldn’t be in the best shape by the time Thanksgiving rolled around. The student-athletes wanted to do it and the administration has supported it every step of the way.”
David Palazzi, Robbins’ counterpart at Leominster High School, said Wednesday that this season felt like the right time to play at Fenway.
“It’s really exciting for the kids and times are changing. I think both cities are open to accepting a move like this for a really special experience,” the Leominster AD said. “I really didn’t put it out there to too many people, but I talked to a few guys I played with and they thought it was a great idea.
“It’s a historic ballpark and will give these kids an experience they’ll carry with them for the rest of their lives. … It’s a home run for both communities.”
The idea to take the 117th edition of the Thanksgiving game to Fenway was waiting for Robbins when he started his first season as AD at Fitchburg in August. And prior to plans being set into motion on his first day on the job, Robbins and Palazzi had discussed the possibility of playing in Boston.
“David and I had made calls to each other even before and I let him know if the chance came around, he’d having a dancing partner,” Robbins said. “My first day on the job, there was an email from the organizers at Fenway who had been emailing (Palazzi) asking who to get in touch with at Fitchburg High. Two days later, we had our first video meeting with the people at Fenway.
“We had been talking a lot already, so it wasn’t too much of a process. We’re working with a great team at Fenway and they’ve made this pretty painless.”
The organizers at Fenway Park are a team that work on non-baseball events like college football games and concerts, Robbins said.
“It should be an exciting night,” Palazzi said. “It’s about the kids and the seniors and the experience. Overwhelmingly, they all wanted to play (at Fenway).”
Tickets for the game will be available through the Red Sox website. Free tickets will be made available to students, with details to come from schools, according to Robbins.
And moving to one of the nation’s oldest and most revered ballparks should provide a remarkable for one of the state’s oldest football rivalries on top of being a unique opportunity.
“We want it to be accessible for everyone,” Robbins said. “This is more than a football game; it’s a community event. It’s an event to celebrate the Twin Cities.”
