The Gary SouthShore RailCats hosted “Scout Night” on Friday evening, as they took on the Sioux City Explorers for some professional action. Fans from all over Northwest Indiana gathered around for the occasion, which included roughly 80 people associated with local Boy and Girl Scout troops. The RailCats also incorporated a “Sandlot” theme to the night, referring to the iconic baseball movie of the ‘90s. With both themes set, the evening was composed of several events planned for after the game.
“We’re going to have this fantastic game with Fifth-Third Bank fireworks right after it, and then we're going to get all of the scouts to come back in and camp out overnight on the field,” said David Kerr, Director of Marketing and Promotions. “We’re going to watch ‘The Sandlot,’ make s'mores, and have breakfast in the morning. It is a really great experience.”
The Scouts certainly seemed to be enjoying themselves during the game. Courtney Trivino, Girl Scout Troop Leader in Valparaiso, was very impressed with Scouts Night at The Steelyard.
“I have about 12 of my Girl Scouts here with me tonight, and we’re so excited to be here and excited to get the RailCats patch that we get to put on our uniforms and represent all over,” Trivino said. “This is our first time here as a unit, and we are here to just celebrate and enjoy each other.”
Along with the different events planned for the night, the Gary SouthShore Railcats also brought out their new uniforms for the large crowd on Friday evening. The white, maroon, and green were proudly being represented by fans all over the ball park, especially by Viki Williams, host parent of Alex Dunn.
“This is a really good crowd for a Friday night,” Williams said. “It is always a good thing for the players to know that they have a lot of people supporting them, especially the kids that come for these different events. They love having all of the kids here, and the kids all seem very excited to stay overnight.”
With "Scout Night" being such a success, the Gary SouthShore RailCats are looking forward to their second Scouts Night in August.
“We love this event,” Kerr said. “It has been an annual thing for as far as I can go back, so it is a fantastic event and we can’t wait to come back in August and do it all again.”