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HERALD Also serving Point Lookout & East Atlantic Beach
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Vol. 33 No. 21
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Voters accept Long Beach Board of Education’s $152 million budget. Get details at LIHerald.com
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MAY 19 - 25, 2022
lAzAr lApeNNA’s teAMMAtes from the Braves were first in the march, which paid tribute to the young man who loved the game. Photos by Joe Abate/Herald
Little League honors Lazar LaPenna i By JAMes BerNsteiN & BreNdAN CArpeNter of the Long Beach Herald
Little League parades are usually an ordinary ritual filled with happy chatter about the upcoming baseball season. But the parade in Long Beach last Sunday morning was anything but usual. The Long Beach/Lido Little League parade honored the memory of Lazar LaPenna, who died April 29, two days after his 10th birthday, when he collapsed on the field, the result of what was believed to be an epileptic seizure. An ambulance was called, but he died a short time later. About 500 people — Little Leaguers, parents and other adults — gathered outside Lin-
think it was the right choice to make this one for Lazar. MAVis Fox
Little League player dell Elementary School shortly before 10 a.m. to remember Lazar, who this season would have been a member of the Braves, one of the teams in the league. The air was gloomy and foggy on the somber day, almost as if on purpose. The Little League was scheduled to hold its annual parade April 30, but postponed it after Lazar’s death. League officials said that the remainder of the
season would be dedicated to him. Little Leaguer Jake Drum, 14, has known the LaPenna family for several years. “It’s heartbreaking,” he said of Lazar’s death. All of the players wore a blue patch on their uniforms with Lazar’s name emblazoned on it. There were posters around the Lindell school, also displaying his name. He was widely described as a young man who loved baseball, whether playing the game or talking about it. He loved spending time outdoors, and he also loved Legos. “He liked playing a lot of sports,” said Logan Wien, 11 a friend of Lazar’s since both were 2 years old. “He was always Continued on page 4
lAzAr lApeNNA’s No. 9 could be spotted at the Lindell Elementary School, where the march in the Little Leaguer’s honor kicked off last Sunday morning.