Nearly two years after the Eaton Fire tore through Altadena, Charles S. Farnsworth Park marked a milestone Thursday: a groundbreaking ceremony for two new baseball and softball fields funded by a $1.4 million Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation project. The event, scheduled to run from 10 a.m. to noon, began with a 10 a.m. county program, followed by the Dodgers Dreamfields groundbreaking at 11 a.m., with light refreshments offered to attendees.
The project will bring Dodgers Dreamfields 69 and 70 to the park's upper and lower ballfields, which served as Central Altadena Little League's primary home venue before the fire, according to Pasadena Now. The fields are planned to support baseball and softball programs for children ages 5 to 12, the outlet reported, and the project is expected to be the foundation's 69th and 70th Dreamfields overall. Per CBS News Los Angeles, the $1.4 million price tag covers the full scope of the rebuild.
Planned upgrades include new irrigation systems, upgraded playing surfaces, fencing, improved batting cages, shade structures and solar-powered hexagonal scoreboards, the Pasadena Now report states. A permanent, self-guided STEM trail will also link the park's upper and lower fields, drawing on the foundation's science-of-baseball curriculum and the park's natural setting. A separate Reflection Garden honoring Altadena residents and a STEM wall are planned as part of the broader park restoration, according to HeySoCal.
A Park Still Recovering From the Eaton Fire
Farnsworth Park has been closed since the Eaton Fire swept through the community in January 2025, which destroyed the park's Davies Community Center, the Pasadena Now report notes. Central Altadena Little League played its 2025 season with help from West Pasadena Little League and other neighboring leagues sharing field space while its home fields sat damaged.
The ballfields are part of broader park improvements involving county and foundation partners. Loma Alta Park has also reopened with two Dodgers Dreamfields, HeySoCal reported. Construction planning is underway at Charles White Park, according to the same report.
Who's Behind the Rebuild
Once construction wraps, the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation will take over maintenance, reservations, scheduling, permits and programming for the fields, Pasadena Now reported. The project's design was shaped by input from local stakeholders including the Community Coalition for Altadena Recovery and Central Altadena Little League, along with other community leaders, as noted by both Pasadena Now and CBS News Los Angeles.
Nichol McKenzie-Whiteman serves as CEO of the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation, while Norma E. García-González directs the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation, according to CBS News Los Angeles. Since 2003, the foundation has invested more than $21.3 million to refurbish 68 Dodgers Dreamfields, giving more than 413,000 young people access to playable fields, the Pasadena Star-News reported in a September 2026 piece previewing the project.
What Comes Next
No completed construction schedule or firm opening date for the Farnsworth fields has been independently confirmed beyond the scheduled groundbreaking itself. The broader park restoration includes planned county funding for a Reflection Garden and other improvements, along with support from the Los Angeles County Parks Foundation, according to HeySoCal's reporting on the restoration's early stages.
