Harry Kalas to return to CBP next month — in statue form

The Phillies will unveil a statue of iconic broadcaster Harry Kalas at Citizens Bank on Aug. 14 when the Washington Nationals come to town.

“He was a constant voice of so many peoples’ summers,” said Todd Palmer of nonprofit Dear Harry Inc., who has helped organize the statue fundraising. “Phillies players came and went — it’s a business and your favorite player may get dealt the next year to another team — but Harry was the one thing that didn’t change.”

The statue will be presented in the plaza near the left field flag around 1 p.m. following a short dedication ceremony. After, the Phillies will play the Nationals, the same team they faced on the day Kalas died in the broadcasting booth April 13, 2009. The significance is not lost on Palmer.

“We wanted to have a game that meant something. I don’t know if this was the case, but I thought maybe it was because the Nationals game was last game Harry called,” he said. “At the end the end of the day, [Kalas] was the best baseball announcer there ever was, and he was ours for [so many] years.”

A Phillies spokeswoman would only say that the team will issue a press release later this week.