VIDEO: Danny Donovan Dedication Ceremony

The sun was shining, kids in baseball uniforms were running around and smoke from the grill filled the air around Safety Harbor City Park on Saturday.

It was an appropriate setting as a large crowd gathered to celebrate the end of another Safety Harbor Little League season and to honor the memory of beloved volunteer Danny Donovan.

Donovan passed away two months ago to the day, in a dugout of the very fields he helped maintain for the last 20 years. League officials said it was appropriate he was honored on this day.

"This is the perfect setting because all Danny wanted was the kids to get out and play and have fun," SHLL president Rob Cursey said. 

"He always said it wasn't about winning or losing as long as the kids participated and had a good time."

After receiving approval from the City Commission last month, the league unveiled signs in Donovan's name that will adorn a section of the street that runs alongside the park as well as the park itself.

"The league brought the request to our attention, and when we looked at his service to the city, the community and the league, it was obvious Danny was the kind of person we want to recognize like this," Mayor Joe Ayoub said.

"People will see the signs and ask who Danny Donovan was, and they'll be able to say he wasn't a CEO or a big-wig, he was just a very committed volunteer who dedicated his life to the community," he added. "That's the kind of person we think is worthy of this type of recognition."

As the kids played kickball and ate pizza and burgers, Cursey and fellow league official Eric Burks unveiled the new signs to much applause.

The signs will be installed by the city sometime this month.

"We lost a dedicated volunteer in the middle of the season, and somehow we had to find a way to regroup, pick up the pieces and keep the season going," Cursey said.

"Danny did it all as just one man, and we had a hard time doing everything he did with a group of 22 people. "That's how much Danny meant to this community and the league."

Related:

• Safety Harbor Mourns Sudden Passing of Valued Volunteer
• Danny Donovan Tribute Tonight at City Park
• Danny Donovan To Have Street Named In His Honor
• Danny Donovan Dedication Ceremony This Saturday

Stay connected to your community. Sign up for the free Safety Harbor Patch email newsletter and you won't miss a thing!