The great American past time

All American Fun

These Cat's Rock!!

The New Britain Rock Cats

Rocky the Mascot loves to
mingle and take pics with the crowd.

What makes for a perfect Friday night in small town USA?  How about a ball game, the National Anthem, ballpark food and a nail biting 9^th inning?  That’s just what I got when I spent the evening at a minor league game right in New Britain.  It was a hot night, but that doesn’t stop this Double-A affiliate for the Minnesota Twins from bring in 6,000 fans and even local celebrities. 

So what kind of things can you expect from a minor league game these days?  Game tickets are perfectly priced between $6 and $20, parking is only $4.  Parked infort of the stadium was the bus from“Best Friends” giving away treats for your puppy; the Stanley Tools booth had free tape measures.  After collecting my goodies, I stumbled upon Emily Audibert, Miss CT 2012 and her court who were at the stadium for a meet and greet appearance.  Inside we found a local cause passing out information and a local business passing out coupons for freebees.  All of this and I hadn't even gotten to my $10 seats yet.



St. James Church of Rocky Hill belts out
the National Anthem!



As in every baseball event, the game opens with the National Anthem, sung by a local person or group.  This time it with the St. James Catholic Church choir, those 17 voices made everyone proud to be American.  This was also special to me as I used to attend this church and I knew some of the folks from the choir.   Aahhh, that first crack of the bat.... And one of the things that makes the Rock Cats game a great family event is the between-inning games that they play.  Getting kids from stands to participate in short competitions and giving out prizes makes the change over fun for all to watch. From running around the in field, to sac races and more.

Food is always a part of the ball game experience, hotdogs, chicken tenders, fries, ice cream, pretzels, peanuts and fried dough are readily available, but at the Rooftop Bar and Grill also offers chicken sandwiches, burger and sausage and peppers.  A cherry sno-cone defiantly helped beat the heat.  Though that Bud seller walking around looked pretty tempting as well.



Proud of their 5-4 win over Altoona



By the bottom of the 9^th the score was 2-4, Altoona.  It was up to the Rock Cats to shake things up.  After two players were walked onto base, #20 in fielder, Colabello, homers it with a fly ball to right field, three more runs gives the Rock Cats the victory!  The crowd went wild for sure.  But wait, the night was not over yet, a quick intermission dance routine by a local dance school brought us into the final ten minute show.  One Friday a month you can enjoy a great display of fireworks right outside the boards.  A great way to end a fun night.



An amazing fireworks display!!



Wondering if you can go bigger then just a seat and a hot dog, check out their web site  for suite rentals, fundraising events, giveaway’s and much more. 

Many of us locals are often at a loss of great, affordable things to do in CT, but for a few bucks a person, you can definatly have a great time at this New Britain staple.