ANNUAL HOLIDAY CELEBRATION OF THE GIGI ALL-STARS
AT FINCA VIGIA - MUSEO HEMINGWAY
DECEMBER 7, 2024
COME JOIN US AND “SHARE THE LOVE”
HLAS is proud to present the 13th annual celebration honouring the late Cayuco “Jonronero, the original Homerun Kid.” (Note: 13 was Hemingway’s lucky number.)
The call has gone out for 2 p.m. on Saturday, December 7, 2024, to gather on the grounds and baseball field of Finca Vigia—Museo Hemingway, San Francisco de Paula. The Gigi All-Star team will convene for the annual exhibition game and celebration.
In addition to the exhibition game, a fun afternoon of celebrations and presentations is planned with the team, their families, and the Finca Vigia staff.
HLAS representatives will be in attendance, and ALL Hemingway aficionados and their families will be invited to attend. This is for the children, for Hemingway, for you to remember the Homerun Kid, and for you to have a truly special time.
History:
In the 1940s, the team was originally formed to provide an activity for Hemingway’s sons when they visited their father. It was named after Ernest’s youngest son Gregory, also known as Gig and Gigi (Guigui in Spanish). During this time, Hemingway provided uniforms and equipment and drove the kids anywhere they could arrange a game. At Christmas, the children were invited to Finca Vigia (Lookout Farm), the Hemingway estate, where Ernest would tell stories to the children and give each one a present.
Over a decade ago, The Director of Museo Hemingway – Ada Rosa Alfonso, Hemingway on Stage – Brian Gordon Sinclair, and the late Oscar “Cayuco” – the Homerun Kid – Blas Fernandez, a surviving member of the original team, decided to revive the Gigi All-Stars. Brian Gordon Sinclair took the reins and continued this great tradition; he arranged uniforms and equipment for the team with the help of the Hemingway Look-Alike Society. He also revived the storytelling tradition and presented a gift to each child. One of the stories explained how the children stopped stealing mangoes from the estate when they had a positive alternative – the great shared North American and Cuban pastime…baseball. The celebration has been so successful that it has continued as an annual event for over a dozen years. Brian Gordon Sinclair continued as Patron of the Gigi All-Stars until his retirement in 2023. As the new Patron of the Gigi All-Stars, the Hemingway Look-alike Society summons you and all Hemingway aficionados, to Cuba, to celebrate over a decade of good deeds. We ask that you make this visit to honor the legacy of a great Nobel Laureate. We also ask that you make the visit for the love of baseball, for the love of children, and for the love of our shared humanity. We guarantee that you will love the game, you will love the children, and, by the end of your visit, you will love the warm, friendly, generous people of Cuba.
Join us this year to “Share the Love” with the Gigi All-Stars. A present of love and friendship!
QUESTIONS? CONTACT:
The Hemingway Look-Alike Society