The West Hempstead Little League will celebrate opening day on Saturday, April 25 with its annual parade from George Washington School to Nelson Field at Echo Park.

The parade will begin at noon and travel south down Poplar Street to Hempstead Ave., along Hempstead Ave. to Roosevlet Blvd., up Roosevelt Blvd. to Nassau Blvd. and onto Nelson Field across from West Hempstead High School.

All participants should arrive in uniform and ready to march no later than 11:30 a.m.

"We are looking forward to another successful season for West Hempstead's Little Leaguers," league president George Manders said. "We are proud to be placing 25 teams on the fields this season, more than any other campaign in the league's history."

One of the main reasons for this year's large registration is the league's new "farm team system" which Manders created for the town's five-year-olds. "It's important that we start teaching children early," Manders said, "and by entering the farm system, the five-year-olds will receive specialized instruction in the basics of baseball."