Plymouth County

Plymouth concession stand with special memory destroyed in fire

PLYMOUTH, Mass. — A fire destroyed a concession stand at the fields for the Plymouth Youth Baseball and Softball League. But the community is especially upset because the building was built in memory of a local woman who was killed in the 9/11 attacks in New York.

Michael Butts, the President of the Plymouth Youth Baseball & Softball League, can’t believe how much damage a fire did to their concession stand. The fire was so intense even the metal handles melted. “It’s all gone, yeah, which is tragic,” said Butts.

The concession and storage facility went up in 2009 and it is named after Jennifer Lynn Kane. Jennifer was an avid softball fan known for her speed, and her father, George Kane, says she could hit and field like an all star. “Every year she made the all star team so she was good,” said Kane, “she loved playing softball and she loved being a teammate.”

Jennifer was killed on 9/11. She was working on the 100th floor of the World Trade Center at the age of 26. To honor Jennifer, the family has been raising money for scholarships and other programs and also donated money to build the concession stand now named after her. One of the playing fields is also named after her. “Anything that is named after Jenn is hard to put into words. It means a lot to us,” said Kane. “Jenn was a big part of the community playing softball, was a great athlete. Unfortunately died on 9/11,” said Butts.

Plymouth Police say the fire appears to be an accidental electrical fire caused after a plugged in golf cart sparked the building’s wooden awning area and spreading into the building. The golf cart is used to rake the fields and move supplies around the large complex. The teamwork to rebuild The Jennifer Lynn Kane Memorial Concession Stand is already in play. “I’m sure we’ll get together, get together a nice plan so we can make sure we get this back up maybe better than before,” said Butts. “It meant a lot and still does mean a lot to our family,” said Kane.

The town says the building is a complete loss but the memorial plaques did survive the fire and they plan to move them on to the new building when it re-opens.

If you would like to donate to the rebuilding cause, a GoFundMe has been set up here.

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