Township of Tiny renames Toanche Park baseball diamond to honour dedicated volunteer, Larry Patenaude

(Tiny, Ontario) On Saturday, June 27, 2026, an official renaming ceremony was held by Township of Tiny Council and the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee in honour of a dedicated volunteer, Larry Patenaude. The event included a sign unveiling that renamed the Toanche Park baseball diamond to the “Toanche Park Larry Patenaude Ball Diamond” to recognize their work in establishing the local softball community in Toanche.

Members of Council, members of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee, staff, the Patenaude family, and many friends gathered for the ceremony, marking Mr. Patenaude’s decades of commitment to softball in Tiny. 

In the early 1970s, Mr. Patenaude set out to establish the ball diamonds in Toanche Park followed by structured team play for youth. Their unwavering commitment to the Toanche community was evident through the countless hours of volunteer work to make improvements to the facilities, over 40 years of coaching, and even being the man behind the driver’s seat of the tractor to maintain the fields for many years before the maintenance work was taken over by the Township.

“On behalf of Council, I am honoured to be here today to officially rename the Toanche Park baseball diamond as the Toanche Park Larry Patenaude Ball Diamond and recognize the incredible contributions Larry has made to our community,” said Mayor David Evans. “He championed the establishment, development, and maintenance of the ball diamonds in Toanche for many years and has produced some of the most talented ball players including leading several teams to Ontario championships. I would like to extend our sincere thanks to Larry Patenaude for his dedication for the love of the sport and their extraordinary volunteerism that has left a lasting impact on the softball community for generations to come.” 

In 2000, Larry Patenaude was awarded the Township of Tiny’s Robert Robitaille Memorial Volunteer Award for their decades of volunteerism that transformed softball in our municipality. The Robert Robitaille Volunteer Award recognizes individuals who have made a lasting impact on parks, recreation, or community life in Tiny. Thanks to Mr. Patenaude’s generous volunteer work, generations of children have and will continue to have the opportunity to take part in the sport locally.

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