RICHMOND, Va. -- It's Opening Day at the Diamond in Richmond, Virginia and the Richmond Flying Squirrels are ready to fly! Rob Cardwell spoke with Flying Squirrels executive Anthony Oppermann about what you can expect at the Diamond this season.
Anthony Oppermann
You couldn't ask for a more picturesque and perfect start to the day.
It's just so much excitement when you see the bunting out, you hear the birds, you see the freshly cut grass and the freshly painted grass down behind home plate, it just gets you excited. And we're just really looking forward to welcoming our baseball family back,
Rob Cardwell
You were talking about baseball families, the baseball is good here. But I mean, at the same time, you could bring a family out here and have so much entertainment and excitement, what goes into that in the whole marketing for you?
Anthony Oppermann
Well, that's the goal is affordable family entertainment.
When we came to Richmond, all the way back in 2010, we said that we wanted to be a community asset and make an impact in the community and be that place that families can go that members of the community can go that we can celebrate community here.
It really is thinking about, you know, the possibilities of [team names like] Rock Hoppers Hush Puppies, all the other crazy names that we threw out there to think about how Flying Squirrels has become such an integral fabric of this community. It's really special and having been on that inaugural staff back in 2010, it means a lot, i don't take it for granted.
Rob Cardwell
A lot of changes from that first season. This is the 14th season Opening Day. Sold out again. But everything around the Diamond is changing too.
Anthony Oppermann
It's been amazing. I remember in 2010 when we came here, you know, people said, hey, whatever you do, don't cross that bridge over into Scott's Addition. And now to see, you know, people walking from Scott's Addition to games to see families walking to games, you know, from the neighborhoods around the ballpark. It's really special.
We're looking forward to continuing to see that growth and development and are very excited about what's to come.
Rob Cardwell
You excited about some of the promo promotions that are coming on too?
Anthony Oppermann
I don't know if you heard about it, but on National Hot Dog Day in July, we're giving away a hot dog-scented candle.
It looks like a hot dog and then you light it and it smells like a hot dog and that's just one of 69 [events]. So we're looking forward to the entire season.
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