A league that's been around since 1953, with a well-established and historical Hall of Fame, has roots that are well-secured.

The Butler County Horseshoe League fits that bill, but the security of those roots has been tested this year.

A 10-team league at its peak, the circuit has only three teams competing this season with approximately 15 pitchers on each team.

“We used to have 10 teams with 20 pitchers on each team. That's quite a drop-off,” said Jim Brandt, captain of the Dew Drop Inn squad and a league member for 17 years.

Ron Watson, a league member for 32 years and West Sunbury team captain for 25, said his team barely has enough pitchers to complete a match at times.

“We've got 14 on the roster and it takes 12 to get through a match,” Watson said. “If a couple of people can't make it or someone is on vacation, it gets pretty tight.”

Runt's Roadhouse and Peter B's — two former league champions — were going to combine forces and enter a team this year. The COVID-19 outbreak put a stop to that.

“There were a couple of places that had interest in putting teams together,” O'Donnell's captain Butch Neff said. “It just didn't happen. The virus set things back a little bit, but the league doesn't have the leaders it used to have, either.”

Neff has been captain of O'Donnell's team since 1985. He joined the county horseshoe league in 1963 at the age of 17.

Vicki Brandt has been league secretary since 2005.

“A lot of the team leaders, people who held this league together, have passed away over the years,” she said. “There are still people who want to play, but not many who are willing to run a team and do what's needed to get it going.”

Neff agreed.

“That's a problem,” he said. “We need new leaders for sure. We've got a few younger players ... Maybe we need to beat the brush a little more.”

There are younger players out there.

Jim Brandt mentioned there are two father-son combos on his team — Steve and Anthony Collins, Jim and Connor Fitzpatrick. Jim's wife, Julie, plans on joining the circuit as well.

Happy Hunters Sportsman Club in Fenelton has a Wednesday horseshoe league with roughly 60 participants.

“That's just a fun league, not as competitive as the county league,” Neff said. “We have half a dozen players from that league in the county league. We may get a few more.”

Travel can be an issue as well, Watson pointed out.

“We used to go all the way down to Peter B's in Cabot, have matches in Zelienople, you'd have to go 15, 20 miles or more,” he said. “Some people don't like to do that. The three teams we have left are rather close together.

“I'm guessing one or two more teams will join next year, but maybe this is the way it's gonna be.”

Also involved in the National Horseshoe Pitching Association, Neff said numbers are down in the sport nationwide.

“There's been a major drop-off,” he said. “Erie has a nice horseshoe organization, but their courts are in a park up there and they're not allowed to use the courts because of the virus. That whole league had to shut down.”

No need to worry about the Butler County league facing a similar fate.

“The teams we have left, we're not willing to let it go,” Vicki Brandt said of the league. “We're going to do whatever we have to do to keep it going. We just have to get people to want to play.”

Jim Brandt believes better years lie ahead for the league.

“We've had ups and downs in terms of number of teams before,” he said. “I'm pretty sure we'll have at least two more teams next year.

“Facilities still have available courts in place and I know they're interested in getting teams back in.”

Two winter horseshoe leagues exist in Butler County: Hooker and Saxonburg.

“The interest is out there,” Jim Brandt said. “We just have to bring people back.”