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Historical Milestones

Hudson Booster Historical Milestones

The Hudson Boosters have played an important role in many Hudson events since 1952. This is just a sampling of the many programs, events & milestones the club has had over the years.

1952 Boys Baseball Program Started

1954 July 16th Boosters Incorporated as “South Side Boosters”

1955 First Ice Races

1957 Boosters Maintain Ski Tow at Coon’s Hill

1958 First Easter Egg Hunt

1959 Renamed “Hudson Boosters Inc.”; Created Little League Park

1960 Girls Recreation Program, U.S.A.F. Band Performs; Jerry Ornoff (master hypnotist) Performs

1961 Sky Diving at Ice Races; Auto Races at Hudson Speedway During Booster Days

1962 First Fireworks; Boosters Assume Responsibility for Dr. Williams Cross

1963 Ski Tow at Coon’s Hill Dismantled

1964 10th Anniversary; 1st HHS Senior Scholarship

1965 Boosters Recondition Band Shell

1966 Snowmobile Races

1967 1st Boat Parade

1968 Last Ice Races; 1st Hydroplane Races

1969 1st Water Ski Show; Baseball Uniforms Donated to Indian Reservation; Concrete Dugouts at Little League Park

1970 1st Parade Down Main Street; Donated and Installed Flag Pole at Girl Scout Camp

1972 Booster Days Canceled Due to Lack of Permits; 1st Hudson Belle; Joint Venture by Chamber and Boosters

1973 Last Boat Parade; Concrete Slab Donated to Lake Front Park

1974 20th Anniversary; U of M Championship Rowing Team at Booster Days; 1st Drum and Bugle Corps Competition

1975 1st Bingo; Last Water Ski Show; No Carnival

1980 Hudson Belle II (designed by John Rollheiser) Joint Venture of Chamber, Hospital Auxiliary, and Boosters; Booster Football Begins; 1st 10k Race

1981 1st Tug-O-War

1982 Hudson Boosters Lead Support for Hudson School Athletics (district was considering canceling activities)

1983 Last Tug-O-War

1984 30th Anniversary; Baseball Games Scheduled in Evenings

1985 Eddie Feigner (national softball star) Performs

1986 Built Backstop and Baseball Field at South End of E.P. Rock

1988 1st Charity Pro-Am Golf Tournament; Purchase Pitching Machine and Batting Cage to Share with H.H.S.

1989 American Legion Baseball Team Reaches State Tournament

1990 Little League Park Replaced by Parking Lot; Reworked North Hudson Elementary School Baseball Fields

1993 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament Begins; Parade Rained Out

1994 40th Anniversary; Boosters Named “Volunteer of the Year”; Built Sheds at E.P. Rock to Share with H.H.S.

1995 Girls Traveling Softball Program Begins

1996 Created Baseball Diamonds at N. Hudson Landfill Site

1997 Donated Baseball Equipment to Ocotal, Nicaragua; Reinitiated Boat Parade, Hudson Belle Electrical System Replaced

1998 501(C)(3) Nonprofit Organization Status Received (retroactive to 1954); Repairs Made to Wood Portions of Float; Receiver/Amplifier for Float

1999 Reinitiated Baseball/Softball Fund-Raiser; Volleyball Tournament Started; Built New Ticket Booth for Booster Days; Voted Down (twice) to Accept Money from Four Feathers Inc. in Exchange for a Letter of Support for a Casino in Hudson

2000 Graded Infields, Installed Backstops, and Repaired Building at North Hudson Baseball Fields; Hudson Baseball Association Ended - Taken Over by Boosters

2001 Booster Days Moved to Bandshell/Beachhouse Area Due to Flood; First Games Played at North Hudson Fields; Worked with the City of Hudson to Create Fast-Pitch Softball Field

2002 Drill Well and Install Irrigation System at North Hudson Fields; Contacted Spielbauer Fireworks to do Fireworks Show for Three Years; Fireworks Moved to Saturday Night; Leased Area Between Hudson Middle School and Grandview Park from City of Hudson to Create Two Football Fields; Installed Lights at Football Fields; Built Storage Shed at Football Fields

2003 Installed Two Scoreboards, Donated by Coke, at Football Fields

2004 50th Anniversary; Placed Fencing Around the Hudson Town Hall Baseball Fields

2005 Started a Concession Stand Program at the Girls North Hudson Fields and the Rod and Gun Club Fields to Help Fund the Cost of the Baseball/Softball/Football Organization

2006 Added Flag Poles at the Rod and Gun Club Fields (donated by the American Legion) and the Booster Football Fields; Added Pitching Mounds to the St. Joes and EP South Fields; Started a 13-14 Major League Recreational League with River Falls and New Richmond.

2007 Irrigation system installed at the Booster football fields. Irrigation also installed in field 5 (girls fastpitch softball) as well as the purchase of a a batting cage at field 5. Concessions and pavillion constructed at the Hudson Town fields made possible by a partnership between the Boosters and the Township.  On-line registration begins for baseball and softball.

2008 New 75' basepath field opened for play at Glover Park. Packer Tailgate tour brought general manager Mark Murphy and players Nick Collins, Brady Poppinga and Jordy Nelson to Lakefront park for autographs during the spring. Mpls River Rats Water Ski Club brought their show to Hudson for Booster Days. Half of baseball/softball registrations now are on-line. New River Crest Elementary school opens this year and Boosters are able to use their field for play.  

2011 A 20+ acre lot north of the truck stop on Highway 12 was purchased for future development. New bleachers purchased for the softball fields in North Hudson.

2014 Dugout improvements made to both the North Hudson softball fields and the Krattley baseball fields.

2015 New storage shed for football built at Grandview football fields.

2016 Offseason winter training for baseball and softball began. Baseball program began Trusted Coaches certification for all traveling and in-house coaches.

2017 New batting cage built at the Krattley baseball fields.

2018 New dugouts built at the River Crest Elementary baseball field. Traveling baseball teams begin hosting state qualifying tournaments. Purchased a new field groomer for the North Hudson softball fields.

2019 Dugouts built at Glover baseball fields. A new Tball field was constructed at Hudson Town Hall.

2020 Booster Days was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A new Square payment system was purchased to process credit card transactions at Booster Days and concession stands for all sports. Partnered with the city of Hudson to retrofit two softball fields at Grandview to make them usable for both softball and baseball.

2021 A pull tab license was applied for and granted as an additional fundraising opportunity for Booster Days and the Hudson Booster Golf Tournament.

2022 A U5 instructional baseball league was started. A new John Deere tractor was purchased for field maintenance at Krattley Fields.

2023 The baseball fields on Krattley Lane were officially named John Herink Fields in honor of longtime Hudson Booster member, John Herink. A new storage shed was purchased by Hudson Booster Baseball and erected at the Town Hall baseball complex. A $1,000 donation was made to the HHS softball program to purchase a new flagpole at the varsity softball fields at the high school.