April 9th, 2024
by Mitch Scher
Wilmington, DE
April 9, 2024
As the line in the movie, ‘Field of Dreams’ goes “People will come” and they did on Friday April 5th in the home opener for the Wilmington Blue Rocks. More than 3,000 folks from Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and Maryland were present at Daniiel S. Frawley stadium located on the Wilmington waterfront to see the Wilmington Blue Rocks play the Brooklyn Cyclones to start the 2024 season.
They came with their families and friends to experience “Food, Folks and Fun”. Folks sat with their heavy coats on and braved the cold as they saw an exciting game with the Blue Rocks defeating the Cyclones 4-1. The Wilmington Blue Rocks are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals major league baseball team. They will play 60 home games in 2024. The baseball play is very high quality as many of the players are recent top picks from the Major League Baseball draft with hometowns from all over the country.
Entertainment comes in many ways with give-aways, fireworks, mascots, and between inning merriment. There is a man that dresses as a King running around the Stadium to sell 50/50 chances. A mascot (Rocky the Moose), who spends the whole game with families and kids in the stands. The food includes Chickie and Pete’s crabfries, Grottos Pizza, Hot dogs (of course) and assorted beverages for prices that are lower than you would pay at Major league ballparks. General admission ticket prices are only $13 and there isn’t a bad seat in the house and no charge for children ages 3 and younger. A number of folks that were at the game received their tickets as gifts from family and friends and they come to quite a few games. They explained that the stadium is easy to get to (right off 95), they see the same faces each year in the crowd and are on a first name basis with a number of the Vendors.
Promotional events for 2024 include: Pups in the Park where folks can bring their dogs to the ballpark, $2 Dollar Dog Wednesdays, Autism Awareness Night where Various Autism awareness and resource tables will be set-up, and Family Fun days where there is a pregame catch on the field and post-game kids can run the bases.
For Cecil County folks, the drive is approximately 30 minutes. The fireworks (Friday nights) are excellent and last quite a while. All in all, even with the cold conditions, a really good time at the ballpark with plenty of food, drink and family entertainment at prices that are reasonable.
