Undefeated Blue Ox host Fosston Trash Pandas in season opener
The undefeated Blue Ox opened Beltrami County’s townball summer against Fosston at Security Insurance Field, carrying local buzz into a 7 p.m. exhibition.
Bemidji’s undefeated Blue Ox opened the local townball summer Wednesday night against the Fosston Trash Pandas, giving Beltrami County fans an early look at a team already carrying a 1-0 record into June. The Minnesota Baseball Association listed the matchup as a 7 p.m. exhibition at Security Insurance Field, where the Blue Ox were set to begin another season of Class C baseball with familiar local attention.
The game mattered beyond one June date because town ball has become part of Bemidji’s summer identity. The city markets itself as the home of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox, and the towering statues on the Lake Bemidji shore have helped turn the team name into something more than branding. Built in 1937, the Paul Bunyan and Babe figures were recognized by Eastman Kodak as the second most photographed icon in the nation, a reminder that the Blue Ox carry one of the area’s most recognizable names into every home date.
Fosston arrived as a Northwest Border League and Red River townball opponent, giving the opener a regional edge as both clubs settled into the early stretch of the 2026 amateur-baseball calendar. The Blue Ox entered the week at 1-0, and the matchup offered an early gauge of how one of the area’s most visible semi-pro clubs would handle another summer with expectations attached.
Bemidji has reasons to believe the team can stay in the spotlight. Lakeland PBS reported that the Blue Ox opened the 2024 season with seven straight wins and improved to 9-0 after a Father’s Day doubleheader sweep of Roseau, a stretch that underscored how quickly town ball can become a summer draw when the Blue Ox start fast. That kind of run pulls families, casual fans and longtime followers back to the ballpark, especially when the weather turns and local attention shifts to games under the lights.
The 2026 season also stretches well beyond Beltrami County. The Minnesota Baseball Association’s state tournament is scheduled for Aug. 21-23, Aug. 28-30 and Sept. 4-7 in Chaska, Jordan, New Prague and Shakopee, giving teams across the state a late-summer target. For Bemidji, though, the season’s local rhythm starts with games like Wednesday’s, where a 1-0 Blue Ox team met Fosston at Security Insurance Field with the region watching.
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