The distinctive crack of a bat hitting a baseball will be heard at the ball diamond in Badger for decades to come.

That wholesome bit of American tradition will continue there in large part due to the efforts of a baseball-loving family that the field is now named after.

City officials and Badger residents came together on a recent evening to unveil the signs declaring the site to be Pederson Field.

Naming the field after Rick, Scott, Philip and Chad Pederson was the community’s way of thanking those brothers and their entire family for the hours of work they invested to improve a baseball diamond laid out in 1975. With Rick Pederson leading the effort, it began by pulling a couple truckloads worth of weeds out of the field. Then about $2,700 was raised by the Pedersons to redo the infield.

When Rick Pederson went seeking donations for the project, no one turned him down.

During the event at which the new Pederson Field signs were unveiled, Rick Pederson revealed why he and his family invested so much time and toil on the ball diamond.

”This is our home,” he said. ”This is the place we take a lot of pride in. It’s a place that means something to us.”

Badger, he said, ”is more than where we live.”

In a town of some 600 people, the field is a hotbed of activity during the summer. About 20 games are played there, plus another 60 nights of practices.

All of that will continue because one family with baseball in its blood stepped forward to make sure the local field is the best it can be.

Thanks to the Pederson family, it’s a wonderful time to play ball in Badger.