It's time to play ball, Richmond!
Baseball is back in town with the Flying Squirrels. They play their first home game tonight against the Reading Phillies. And they'll keep swinging through Wednesday, taking on the New Britain Rock Cats.
Heading out to the ball game?
Here's what you need to know about it:
Opening Night
Expect fireworks, steel drum bands, a fly over, stilt walkers, a visit from Uncle Sam and of course, Nutzy, the Flying Squirrels mascot.
The Governor will be there to throw out the first pitch, along with the mayor and county supervisors.
Nutzy is expected to make a grand entrance -- although organizers can't say for certain how he'll do it. "A helicopter was mentioned at one point," Jon Laaser, a speaker for the Flying Squirrels said. "A zipline was mentioned too." Find out more on the Top Five Weekend Events.
Please note, opening night is sold old. But tickets are still available for Friday on.
The Seats
New box seats were installed in the lower level. But they don't call them box seats anymore...they're the "Diamond Club" and they cost $10. Bench seating in the upper deck costs $6 to $8 general admission.
Also, there are fewer seats in the Diamond now -- 9,700 -- which means the games should have a more intimate feel. And hopefully they'll fill more seats than when the Braves were in town (did you ever feel like you were the only person in the whole stadium?)
Take our video tour of the Diamond for more.
How They're Doing
Well....they're 1-6 as of this writing. They've suffered losses to the Altoona Curve and the Bowie Baysox.
But let's hear it for the home team advantage and turn their luck around. A sold-out season opener has got to help, right? Get out there and cheer on Richmond's very own Flying Squirrels.
The Food
You'll find the usual fare such as hamburgers, cheeseburgers and hot dogs. A few items on the menu will give a nod to the team name...such as Squirrelly Fries (you know the kids will love it). Plus you'll also find a barbecue cart called Smoky Squirrel's BBQ, a sausage shack, a nuts cart called Nuts For You, serving premium roasted nuts, and a cart dishing up soft serve ice cream.
Fireworks
On opening night, you can expect a big fireworks display to celebrate the season. But it doesn't stop there. The Squirrels will have multiple fireworks nights scheduled throughout the summer and will return a blow-out display to the Northside for the Fourth of July. Mark your calendar for fireworks on these dates:
Thursday, April 15
Monday, May 31, Memorial Day
Thursday, June 3
Thursday, June 10
Thursday, June 17
Thursday, July 1
Saturday, July 3
Sunday, July 4, Fourth of July
Thursday, July 15
Thursday, July 29
Thursday, August 12
Giveaways
From theme nights to giveaways, there's always something planned at the Diamond. On opening weekend, expect to pick up a free ball, a fleece blanket and more items if you're one of the first 2,000 to 3,000 fans to arrive. Check out the full promotions schedule on their website.
For the Kids
Yes, they have a Kid Zone. It features inflatables, skeeball and maybe even a funnel cake and snow cone stand outside of it. As a parent of a very hyper 2-year-old, I applaud you, Flying Squirrels! Well done.
Nutzy
We don't know what he's going to do. But we hear he is going to go nuts! Be ready.
"Feelin' Squirrelly?" T-Shirts
The franchise gutted the restaurant and turned it into a 2700-square-foot souvenir shop featuring all kinds of t-shirts, baseball hats, shot glasses, stuffed animals and more goodies for the kids. They'll also have "Feelin' Squirrelly?" T-shirts and some very cute baseball hats. No word on if they'll sell trucker hats with squirrel tails on them. We think they should.
Upcoming Schedule
You can find a full schedule of games and even buy tickets on our Events Calendar.
Who's ready to go out to the ball game?
Check back later this week for photos from the Flying Squirrels opening game! And if you go to a game, let us know what you think on our Comments section.
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