With its roller rink, ice cream parlors and shady tree-lined streets, Purcellville is idyllic small-town America. And then there’s baseball. Every summer since 2017 the town has hosted the Purcellville Cannons of the Valley Baseball League – “gateway to the pros,” – with home games at Fireman’s Field in the heart of downtown. Some 34 players are on the Cannons roster and stay with local families during the two-month season.
“It’s a great little town but the people are even better,” said closing pitcher Nick Gravel, 22, an MBA grad from upstate New York who is in his second season on the team, staying with the Carter family a short walk from the field.
“The sponsors are great, we are invited for dinners in people’s homes and the whole community gets involved.”
Gravel said that unlike most other towns in the league, the Purcellville Cannons community creates special themed events for home games, with everything from Family Fun Night and Bark in the Park to Home Run for Hunger and Host Family Recognition Night. Food-wise, Gravel is a particular fan of Monk’s BBQ and the Purcellville Pub, the latter a sponsor of the team. “The Pub owners often hold the restaurant open for us to have a meal after the game because we finish so late.”
He has also enjoyed exploring wider Loudoun. “I went on a drive yesterday and was looking at all the horse farms. The houses are amazing. I grew up in a small suburban town and seeing all this is great.” Book tickets to a home game here or make a weekend of it by checking out places to stay in Loudoun.
