Alberta Avenue looks to rebrand, considers moving Edmonton’s iconic giant baseball bat

One intersection on Edmonton’s Alberta Avenue may soon look different as the north central neighbourhood is looking to rebrand, considering moving this giant baseball bat located here on 97 Street and 118 Avenue.

“There’s a lot of plans to what we’re gonna do with the bat. There’s a lack of clarity on who’s actually responsible. Who owns it? So we haven’t really made a decision on that,” said David Plamondon, the board chair of the Alberta Avenue Business Association.

The 50-foot-long metal bat has been an iconic fixture in this neighbourhood known as ‘Avenue of Champions’ for over 20 years. But the Alberta Avenue Business Association told CityNews the slogan is no longer relevant to both people and businesses in the community after the Oilers left the nearby coliseum.

“I think the demographic and the vibe of the avenue has changed a lot over the last few years and we really want the rebrand to capture the spirit and what alberta avenue means to us as community members the spirit and what Alberta Avenue means,” Plamondon.

Along the baseball bat, over 200 metal pieces of structures could also be removed as part of rebranding Alberta Avenue. That includes metal pictograms of athletes, murals, and other street signs. The association says the priority for now is to hear what the community has feedback.

While the details around rebranding Alberta Avenue are still unclear, a petition to save the baseball bat was launched on social media.

But if the bat moves, where could it go?

Last April, the Edmonton Riverhawks posted about the bat on April Fool’s Day, saying it would be removed to RE/MAX Field, but now that their joke is in the realm of possibility, the team will neither confirm nor deny if they will pursue.

“Would it be fun to have it upfront, of course. We would love to do that. Is it actually feasible? That’s the big question right now. We’re not really sure in terms of cost, transporting it, and even where we could put it here,” Maddie Murdoch, communications director for the Edmonton Riverhawks.

The business association says they will take their time to hear from businesses in the area through surveys before any decisions are made.

“It’s not like we’re in a panic to get rid of it. If we’re moving away from that avenue of champions, we wanna make sure the bat gets placed somewhere where it’s going to have an impact,” said Plamondon.