NEWBERRY — The Joanna Project, which aims to renovate the Historic Joanna Stadium to host baseball again, will host a concert fundraiser at the Newberry Opera House on March 28 at 7:00 p.m.
Volunteers, the non-profit Joanna Project, launched is 2024 as a grassroots effort to restore Historic Joanna Stadium, preserve its legacy and bring baseball back to Joanna. In 2025 the Joanna Project fielded the newly formed Joanna Hornets, a college summer league team which played their home games at Newberry High School. The goal is for the Hornets to play the 2026 season in Joanna.
“This fundraiser will go towards completing the playing field renovations so we can hopefully play in Joanna this summer,” said Michael Riefsnyder, president of the Joanna Project. “We’re raising money, including through this concert, to have a contractor grade the field, put in irrigation and put down sod.”
The concert is called “The Threads That Bind” and will tell a musical and visual story of Joanna, the textile mill and its baseball legacy. Joanna baseball dates to 1915 and the town had a textile league baseball team, which was a town rallying point, for decades. Concert performers will include Gary Alexander, a native of Joanna and now a professional musician in Florida, plus members of Grand Illusion, the Alex Eubanks Band, the Backline Band and narrator Buddy Bridges, the voice of the Clinton Red Devils.
“I’m extremely excited about this fundraiser,” said Riefsnyder. “It’s going to be a lot of fun. We’ve already sold 150 tickets and would love to double that amount or even sell out.” Tickets can be bought at newberryoperahouse.com or the Opera House box office. Prices are $50—$70.
For the field in Joanna, Reifsnyder says they have raised enough money for a new backstop, netting and fencing. Raising additional money for field renovations is now the priority.
The Joanna Hornets had a “great season in 2025,” said Riefsynder. “It was even more than we hoped for. That’s a credit to the players, coaches and fans.”
“For the upcoming 2026 season, we’ve had a great response of college players signing up to play for Joanna. In fact, 70% of our players will be college players who are originally from Laurens and Newberry counties. For position players, all our slots are full, and we have a few open slots for pitchers. “
Back as Hornets head coach will be Stuart Lake, who is Director of Development for the USC Gamecock Club and formerly was the head baseball coach at Charleston Southern. He is a graduate of Mid Carolina High School.
The Hornets will play this year in the Blue Ridge League, which will feature college summer teams in Joanna, Greenwood, Spartanburg, North Carolina and Virginia. The season begins May 29. To learn more about the Joanna Project, visit thejoannaproject.com
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