• Editor’s note: Anamarie Mendez, a freshman at Kimball High School, traveled to Cooperstown, N.Y., last month with her mother, Lisa, and sisters, Melanie and Briana, to attend the National Baseball Hall of Fame ceremonies July 26. Her grandfather, sportswriter Nick Peters, received the Baseball Writers Association of America J.G. Spink Award during the ceremonies for his

47 years in the profession. The National Baseball Hall of Fame comes to life on induction weekend. Arriving at Cooperstown, N.Y., we saw the crowds of people lined up to get autographs from Hall of Famers who were seated along the sidewalk.

First thing was to get our credentials from the Cooper Inn. Then we could gain access to the Otesaga Hotel and all of the events planned for us. My sisters and I went to Double-Day Field and took part in a baseball skills clinic hosted by former baseball players including Lee Smith, who bonded with Melanie and Briana while giving them pitching tips. The clinic was cut short due to a torrential downpour.

Later that night, my family went to a dinner at the estate of Jane Forbes Clark, the chairwoman of the Hall of Fame. Since the dinner was only for Hall of Famers and their immediate family, it was a great opportunity to meet everyone. It is entertaining to see former rivals on the field now enjoy each other’s company and even ask for each other’s autograph.

Saturday evening began with a cocktail party that the A’s hosted in honor of Rickey Henderson, followed by a formal dinner at the Otesaga. But the best event of the night began as we boarded trolleys headed for the red-carpet entry at the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The after-hours event included a dessert buffet and cocktails. While the desserts were tempting, I anxiously awaited a chance to walk through the museum exhibits with my grandfather.

My favorite moment was when we were touring the just-opened “Viva Baseball” exhibit, honoring Latin American ball players. As I randomly pushed a button on a video exhibit to see a player tell of his experiences and struggles to get to play baseball, a voice over my shoulder asked me if I understood the Spanish he was speaking.

I happened to push the button for Tony Perez’s video, never realizing he was standing right next to me. My mom said that she has never seen as much surprise on my face as when I was standing next to the person the exhibit was about. It was at that moment I finally realized the impact of that weekend.

Finally, after a two evenings of celebrating, Sunday and the induction ceremony had arrived. We drove through town noticing all of the yard signs saying “all-day parking $20.” Homeowners had people parking all over their lawns to capitalize on the festivities.

Like all of the weekend’s events, we started at the Otesaga, where everyone got on buses to take us to the Induction Ceremony site. As we arrived, we were ushered to our assigned seating for the MLB.com telecast.

Temporary showers changed the order of the presentations and speeches, which caused my grandfather’s speech to be bumped from second

to last. It was worth the wait; I am so proud of how well my grandfather spoke. Now he is forever enshrined in the media section of the Hall of Fame.

The privileged memories of the VIP treatment and behind-the-scenes events will never be forgotten. Best of all, the opportunity to return to see my grandfather’s plaque is an honor our family will cherish for generations. I am sure that induction weekend is a bit surreal for the inductees, rarely given a moment to rest; but for me, it was an experience of a lifetime. Fortunately for the Hall of Famers, they are invited to return annually to celebrate the honor over and over again.

Late Sunday night, my mom and Melanie shared an elevator with the Hendersons. They mentioned how the weekend had been so busy that they had never really seen the town and hoped to escape for stroll through town. With the autograph hounds hanging out by the front gate, I don’t think they could. Hopefully, Rickey and his wife will have their chance to enjoy the charm of Cooperstown in future years. I know I will.