Lincoln Legends: Stadium nonprofit an 'act of love' for Kris Wyatt

Kris Wyatt's 53-year love for Lincoln has changed the community for the better. Wyatt moved to Lincoln after meeting her husband, Larry Wyatt, at Chico State. Larry grew up in Lincoln. When they finished their degrees, they needed to find somewhere to student teach. They applied in multiple Northern California towns. During the Portuguese Picnic weekend, Kris ran into the superintendent and principal right before her interview and hit it off. She began her teaching career at Glen Edwards Middle School. After two years, she moved to Lincoln High School and held several jobs: physical education teacher, health teacher, math teacher, activities director, cheer advisor and counselor. She taught for 37 years. She says she still looks at the calendar in the viewpoint of a school year because of her lengthy career. "My psychological and physical clock still goes with the school year," she shares. "When the kids are getting ready to go to school, it's like, oh yeah, school time. The same thing kind of summer, where you relax a whole lot, and then you get ready to roll. Right now, it's a new year and a new start." After finishing her teaching career, Kris served on the school board for 12 years. She is also vice president of Friends of McBean Park Stadium. The nonprofit started as a convention with her husband, who was an avid baseball supporter. From 1923 to 1968, Lincoln had a baseball franchise that played in the Placer-Nevada Baseball League. They wished in conversation they could bring something like that back to Lincoln that would occur at McBean Park. Their nonprofit worked with the city and the Great West League to lead to the Potters' return in 2017. Friends of McBean Park Stadium works on stadium upgrades, junior baseball programs and scholarships. The nonprofit is currently working on upgrading the scoreboard at the stadium. The campaign includes an option to have a special brick dedicated to fans on the scoreboard. Wyatt describes being part of the nonprofit as an act of love. "I call it my husband's Field of Dreams. He passed away in 2019 so it's important to take care of," she shares. "I think that's where I struggle, because sometimes I think, what am I️ doing? Should I️ just stop doing this? But just for him, we'll keep going. It's an act of love." Wyatt is the secretary of the Lincoln Police Activity League. The nonprofit is meant to bring kids in the community to build relationships with the police officers of the town. The nonprofit hosts National Night Out, Halloween in Beermann's Plaza and Shop with a Cop. They also have a program that helps kids in the community get access to bikes to help them attend school, jobs and town activities. Wyatt is also in charge of the youth services for the Rotary Club of Lincoln. The nonprofit hosts events such as the Tour de Lincoln, Lincoln Wine Fest and Lincoln Community blood drives. She joined Rotary in the 1990s and became the first female president in 1995. She said being president during that era was hard due to experiencing sexism. She shared that 50 percent of the members quit because she was nominated to be the first female president. She stuck through it and changed the culture regardless of how hurtful it was in the moment. Wyatt says she loves Lincoln because of regardless of how much the city grows, it will always have that small-town feel. "When you need help, whether it's an emergency or just help with an event, there are people that come in and they're there to support you or be a part of it," she shares. "The thing that I️ love is that we take care of our people."