Fourth of July Weekend Recap Photo: Samantha Frank Article By: Kayla Gregoire There is nothing more perfect than going to a Cape Cod Baseball League game on the Fourth of July. Going to the beach, and then heading to a CCBL game, grabbing a hot dog, and then catching some fireworks is what many fans do when coming to the Cape for the weekend. Fourth of July weekend kicked off on Friday, July 1st, many players were seen wearing American themed clothing to celebrate the holiday. On Monday, July 4th, fans filled the stands wearing American flag clothing. Many of the fans attending were moms, dads, and their kids. Some teams also decorated their ballparks with American themed decorations. In Brewster, the team decorated the stands with American flags for the weekend. Fan attendance saw some of its highest numbers this year on the weekend. Some fans even have going to a CCBL game as a tradition in their family. Families see going to a game as a way to connect while also enjoying a game. “This is our tradition, we don’t actually live on the Cape,” a mom and her daughter recounted at Lowell Park. “We’ve been coming to the Cotuit parade for years and years and now we come to the games when they are at home.” “We’ve been coming since my kids were in strollers,” a fan said. “We love coming to this park to watch games.”  Photo: Samantha Frank The total attendance for Sunday: 11,219 Total Attendance for Monday: 10,452 On the Fourth of July, teams play their rival, which is typically a team that is geographically next to them. The teams play two nights in a row, switching who hosts at their ballpark each night. The matchups included: Falmouth vs. Cotuit, Hyannis vs. Yarmouth-Dennis, Brewster vs. Harwich, Wareham vs. Bourne and Chatham vs. Orleans. For the weekend many teams did something special for their fans. In both Chatham and Hyannis, they had Steve Perrault, host of Inside the Monster, come out to throw the ceremonial first pitch. Perrault himself has family that lives here and came to the Cape for the weekend. Chatham also had special fireworks after their game against Harwich. Cotuit had a special ceremony before the start of their game to celebrate America. They brought out the Cotuit Federated Church for a prayer. Then the Cotuit Boy scouts color guard, troop 52 came onto the field for the National Anthem. The Cotuit Federated Church singing group were the ones to sing the Anthem. Not only did teams celebrate the Fourth of July at their ballparks, but they also went out into their community before their games. This included walking in the local parades or meeting fans out in the community. The Hyannis Harbor Hawks split up all across the Hyannis area to attend events. This included the Hyannis Port parade where the Hawks started by signing balls and bats for fans. After signing, they walked the parade, shaking fans hands and giving away Hyannis balls as they walked. In Cotuit, the team sat on a truck and drove through the parade, throwing candy out to fans. |