Neighborhood Stars: Aloha Vintage Base Ball Association steps up to the plate

Early November brought a fresh kind of throwback magic to Alexander Cartwright Field in Makiki, as friends, families and curious passers-by gathered to watch the kick-off celebration for Aloha Vintage Base Ball Association (AVBBA). The event wasn’t just a game preview — it was a living history moment, inviting neighbors to see (and feel) how Hawaiʻi played base ball in the 1880s, right in the same park where the sport first took root in the Islands.

Founded by Waikīkī artist and longtime vintage player Matías Solario, AVBBA is on a mission to revive the rules, gear, and spirit of 19th-century base ball — heavier bats, smaller gloves, overhand pitching, and plenty of old-time lingo. Beyond the novelty, Solario’s deeper goal is to reconnect Hawaiʻi to its own baseball origin story: Alexander Joy Cartwright laying out the first formal field here after arriving in 1850, the growth of local clubs, and the way the game intertwined with the Kalākaua era.

That cultural heartbeat was everywhere at the kick-off. The vibe was part community picnic, part time machine — and entirely Makiki.

A special highlight of the day was AVBBA’s partnership with Chester Sebastian and Kevin Faller, Hawaiʻi Sports Museum/Old Queen Street Stadium owners, which helps to anchor the league’s historical interpretation and community reach.

In our interview, museum founder Chester Sebastian shares why vintage base ball matters now: as a way to keep local sports heritage visible, hands-on, and proudly Hawaiʻi-based. Together, AVBBA and the museum are building a bridge between archive and activity — letting history run the bases instead of sitting on a shelf.

Solario echoes that same vision when he talks about discovering vintage leagues on the continent, then realizing Hawaiʻi has its own distinct place in the sport’s earliest chapters — including multi-ethnic teams and royal-era fans — stories that deserve a spotlight.

Please join us in cheering on this one-of-a-kind revival that’s turning Cartwright Field into a stage for fun and historic recognition!