Major League Fun at TCMU

Parents of baseball fans, you’ve got one month left to experience the “Big League Fun” exhibit at The Children’s Museum of the Upstate GVL! The engaging baseball-focused exhibit explores the science and math behind the sport, while staying true to the sights and sounds we’ve grown up with.

Through role play, trivia and technology the exhibit immerses visitors in the world of major league baseball. My boys immediately head to the batting cage “Batter up!” where they don helmets, grab a bat, and step up to the plate. The screen shows the ball’s trajectory & how many bases a runner could cover with each hit, and keeps track of the swing count. Tip: the sensor in the ball tee can get touchy, so if the screen doesn’t say “swing away” go ahead and give it a jiggle!

We also had fun customizing baseball cards for all three kids – check out the Greenville Drive logo! Or, choose your favorite MLB team...

Parents, take a seat in the bleachers while the kiddos step into the announcer’s booth to give a play-by-play of a clip from a real game, then join them to listen to the broadcast they’ve recorded. Or, become a customer at the ticket booth and concessions stands; your little vendor will enjoy all the fun props.

Older kids will enjoy “Keeping Score” where they can answer trivia, calculate batting averages, and solve physics-themed problems. There’s also a camera and green screen that allow your baseball fan to interview coaches, players and fans, for live game coverage.

Other simulations involve pitching from the pitcher’s mound, throwing from the infield/outfield, and catching fly balls – all from the safety of this carefully curated exhibit. You’ll easily spend an hour exploring Big League Fun, leaving plenty of time to experience the rest of the museum on one of these last hot or rainy days before school starts up... perfect for the parents with kids too little for a Drive game!!!

PS The Greenville Drive have a week of home games coming up next week, from August 15^th through 21^st for those looking to get to a game. The season is almost over; the last four home games are scheduled Aug. 31 through September 3^rd, so don your Drive gear and head to Fluor Field before another season is in the books…

The new Green Monster at Fluor Field

It’s that time again, when the crack of the bat and fireworks over the West End means baseball has returned to Fluor Field! 

To mark the start of the 12^th season of Greenville Drive baseball we headed to the annual "Meet the Team" event at Fluor Field on Wednesday. Not just a special perk for season ticket holders, the event was also meant to give Reedy’s Kids Club a chance to meet the players who will be representing our town on the field this year. Fluor Field underwent major updates this winter, and the first thing we noticed upon entering were the giant baseballs and Shoeless Joe Jackson; the statue was formerly in front of Smoke on the Water, but seems right at home by the main gates!

The Champions Club presented by Hubbell Lighting was unveiled during the event, a rentable space for group outings that can accommodate up to 300 people. The space features a posh interior and doors that open to outside stadium seating. Famous Drive players are honored on the walls, including my favorite Drive player of all time, Anthony Rizzo. Rizzo was selected by the Drive in the 6^th round in 2007, and although his 2008 season was cut short by a diagnosis of Hodgkin’s lymphoma, he beat cancer and last year helped the Cubs win their first World Series since 1908. 

Following the ribbon-cutting, the 2017 Drive players and coaching staff were introduced, after which the boys got autographs and photographs with the players. We got a glimpse of the new Front Porch, a lounge for Drive ticket holders. With indoor seating, a full service bar, flat-screen televisions, and other amenities such as light snacks and full service buffet options available for purchase, the lounge will be a great place to get out of the heat and relax.

We also got to see the new Green Monster Seats! The 30-foot high wall in left field with a manual scoreboard has the same dimensions as the original Green Monster at Fenway Park, even including “Pesky’s Pole” in right field. The new seating allows for a completely different perspective of Fluor Field!

The Drive are currently hosting the Delmarva Shorebirds for a four-game series that kicked off yesterday. Greenville is going into tonight's game with a 1-0 lead after 3-2 victory on opening day. Tonight will be the first Friday Night Fireworks following the game, and after Sunday’s Safe Kids Upstate Day the Drive will dive right into a three-game stretch against Greensboro. Home games will take place all the way through the end of August, with four away games against Asheville scheduled in September.

If you have any baseball falls under 16 in your family, make sure to sign them up for Reedy’s Kids Club; in addition to invites to fun events such as Meet the Team, members receive a hat, a passport that can be stamped at Drive home games for a chance to win prizes, and a 10% discount at the Drive Team Store. For this season's schedule, roster and ticket info, head over to the official Greenville Drive site here. 

Let’s play ball!

The Cubs Fly the W!

I don’t know much about baseball, but here is what I do know:

1. I’m from Chicago, and the Cubs are my team.

(and that of my cousins, who headed to Wrigleyville Sunday - lucky ducks!) 

2. They play at Wrigley Field, the oldest stadium in the National League (1914). Formerly known as Weeghman Park and Cubs Park, it’s been Wrigley since 1927. I prefer chewing gum over “Guaranteed Rate Field” – come on, Comiskey!

3. In 1906 the Chicago Cubs won a record 116 games before losing the World Series to the Chicago White Sox, and then in 1907 & 1908 they won it all, becoming the 1st Major League team to play in three consecutive World Series (and the 1st to win it twice)….

4. …and the Cubbies haven’t won a World Series since. That’s 108 years, the record for longest period without a World Series championship.

5. The first three games of the 1945 World Series were played in Detroit, the last four in Chicago. During game four Wrigley ejected Billy Sianis who had come to the game with two box seat tickets – one for him and one for his goat. And so was born the Curse of the Billy Goat when Mr. Sianis uttered, “The Cubs, they ain’t gonna win no more.”

6. Black cats, wet gloves, Steve Bartman… the curse continues despite Billy Sianis himself attempting to reverse it.

7. Fast forward to the year I was born, when Harry Caray became sportscaster for the Cubs. His tradition of singing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” during the seventh-inning stretch has continued after Caray's death, with guest celebrities occasionally singing along to Caray on the jumbotron. For example, Eddie Vedder on game five…

8. …which was the first World Series win at Wrigley in 71 years.

9. At the end of the 1991 season Harry Caray said; “Well, a lot of things happened today, and they were all great and they were all thrilling and they were all dramatic… Sure as God made green apples, someday, the Chicago Cubs are going to be in the World Series — and maybe sooner than you think.”

10. Yesterday, Addison Russell’s grand slam (bottom of the 3^rd) was the first in the World Series since Game 2, 2005, and the first ever by the Cubs in the World Series.

Which all brings me to this – tonight is the night. Will the Curse of the Billy Goat be finally reversed? Will my boys forever know Zobrist as zobirste? Will the W fly once more?

All right! Lemme hear ya! Ah-One! Ah-Two! Ah-Three! Take me out to the ballgame, take me out with the crowd; buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack, I don't care if I never get back.Let me root, root, root for the Cubbies, if they don't win, it's a shame. For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out, at the old ball game! Let's get some runs!

Opening day!

Take me out to the ball game,

Take me out with the crowd;

Just buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack,

I don't care if I never get back.

Let me root, root, root for the home team,

If they don't win, it's a shame.

For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,

At the old ball game.

(Did you know that this unofficial baseball anthem was composed by two men who had never attended a baseball game? “Take Me Out to the Ball Game, written in 1908 by Jack Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer and traditionally sung during the middle of the seventh inning of the game.)

The Greenville Drive won against the Augusta GreenJackets on Opening Day! Two lucky boys accompanied Roberts to the game, staying to the very end. And it was a good thing too, as the Drive scored the game-winning point at the bottom of the 9^th!

With home games every night for the next week there are plenty of options to catch the Drive at Fluor Field early this season. The boys will be back soon, and hopefully Vilis and I will be able to join them for a few innings; here’s wishing our team a great season!

Greenville's West End Tour

During the whirlwind that was the week before Easter we managed to fit in a tour of the West End. My cousins and family had been to Greenville before, but although they had found all the Mice on Main, been on our Caesars Head/Blue Ridge Escarpment tour and explored Falls Park, they had not been much further. We set out to change that on a sunny Wednesday, parking on the bridge and setting out due west.

Flashback to 2010 bb (before blog)

The West End originally grew up around Furman University, which was established in 1852 on fifty acres of land in the West End, and the arrival of rail transport connecting Greenville to Columbia which arrived in 1853.  Growth accelerated after the Civil War, when phosphate and guano fertilizers made it profitable for upcountry farmers to grow cotton; businesses supporting regional farmers thrived in the area, residential development increased and schools and churches followed. However the same financial conditions that led to the end of the textile mills in downtown in the beginning of the 20^th century turned the tide in the West End as well. Despite the commercial focus shifting from cotton to soft drink manufacturing and bottling, the area remained somewhat depressed until the recent revitalization. However many of the buildings from this time in Greenville’s history remain, and it was in one such building that we ducked in for our first stop, Joe’s Place.

After a browse in the new bookstore we window-shopped our way further on S. Main Street, eventually arriving at the gates of Fluor Field. With a game against Charleston that evening the gates were closed, but the visitors got a good taste for this rather new addition to Greenville. The stadium serves as the west anchor to the historic district, which stretches from Falls Park down S. Main and Augusta Streets.

A must-stop West End destination is West End Coffee Company on S. Markley Street across from the main entrance to Fluor Field. Located at the West End firehouse for seven years (it had been a fire station for sixty), it moved to the present location just after the construction of the stadium in 2006 when the fire station became the Greenville Drive ticket office. The new West End building was built in 2006 from bricks from the Old Clinton Mill in Clinton SC – over a century old. Coffee beans mostly imported through NY are roasted on location, and several varieties commemorate local spots, such as Greenville’s West End Blend, Smoky Mountain Blend and Biltmore Blend. In addition to buying some coffee from their retail section in the front, we got a tour of the roasting room in back.

Circling around to Augusta Street we passed the South Carolina Children’s Theatre. Next door is a now-empty lot, which used to house the beautiful Victorian-style Cureton House. Built in the 1880s the home was one of the best examples of Queen Anne architecture in the Upstate. I say “was” because the last living family member, Josephine Cureton, passed in 2010 and her estate dictated that the house be demolished. The South Carolina Children's Theater will build a permanent home on the property, but I feel sadness for the lost piece of history every time I pass. Luckily soon after we were back in the heart of the historic district, passing the Shoeless Joe Jackson statue and ducking into The Cook’s Station, the kitchenware store fit for foodies and novices alike.

Source: Greenville Daily Photo

The final building before Falls Park is the unassuming Falls Cottage, now a protected landmark on the Historic Register. Built in 1893 by W.E. Touchstone, the superintendent of Camperdown Mill, it was a private residence until the late 1960's. At various times home to the Metropolitan Arts Council, Greenville Artists Guild Gallery, Tours Around Greenville and the Peace Center for the Performing Arts’ fundraising office, it was restored during the Falls Park redevelopment and has been home to Mary’s Restaurant since 2004.

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Hungry from our morning walk, we crossed the street and climbed the stairs to Chicora Alley. One of the West End icons back in the day was the Chicora College for women, which was established in 1893 overlooking the Reedy river, and named for Chicora Street (now Boggs Street). The College eventually moved from Greenville to Columbia in 1915 (or was merged with Queens College in Charlotte NC depending on the source), and with the burning of its buildings in 1919, the legacy of this college remains only in the name of the restaurant which opened in 2006. Serving up a fusion of island and Southern, Chicora Alley is a favorite for us not just for the food but also for the view. On this sunny Wednesday the scene was set with the showy blooming dogwoods and walkers out and about in Falls Park. Roberts often opts for the fish tacos and there are plenty of vegan options, but if you find yourselves perusing the menu be sure to order the sweet potato fries, which come with a side of honey butter and are just about the best in Greenville.

It was because we were so stuffed from lunch that we didn’t step into Spill the Beans, our usual stop for coffee and ice cream when in Falls Park. Coffeehouse and creamery in one, the indoor and outdoor seating areas provide stunning views of the waterfall on the Reedy River and the Liberty Bridge. I often treat myself to one of their signature coffees, such as the Leaning Tower of Mocha or Spillisimo the Beans, while the boys settle down with fresh baked waffle cones and ice cream. With comfy seating for students looking for a study spot, families looking for a place to recuperate or businessmen looking for a casual meeting location I suggest you give this West End favorite a try.

Our Upstate adventures with the Chicago visitors were far from over though… Although the older “boys” were off to NC that afternoon, there were still plenty of plans for Greenville and Paris Mountain in the coming days! 

For a complete list of the West End's National Register Properties please visit the SC Department of Archives and History site.

A Cubbies fan in Greenville chimes in

Today Wrigley Field turns 100, and the Cubs are planning a season-long party! Retro uniforms like the ones worn today on the 100^th birthday game against the D-backs are just part of the "Party of the Century,” with specialty food, bobbleheads, special guests and more planned for the length of the season. I’m originally from Chicago, and although I haven’t been to a game in ages, the Cubbies have my support this season.

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As part of the celebration, "Throwback Sunday" games will include retro toy giveaways for children, and for each decade-themed Friday home game the first 10,000 fans at Wrigley will receive a bobblehead honoring key individuals or events from that decade. A golfer's night during the 1950s homestand last Thursday commemorated Sam Snead hitting the center field scoreboard with a golf ball, and collectible cups and helmets will be offered with food and beverages during the themed decade games. Sounds like a collector’s dream, doesn’t it?

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The ballpark was built in 1914 at the Clark and Addison street location for $250,000, and was originally named Weeghman Park after Chicago Federals owner Charles Weeghman. It was home to the Chi-Feds (later the Chicago Whales) of the Federal League, and the first game was April 23, 1914. When the Federal League folded in 1915, Weeghman found the investors to purchase the Chicago Cubs. Among those investors was William Wrigley Jr., and in 1919 the park was renamed Cubs Park when Wrigley bought Weeghman’s shares. The name was changed once again in 1926 to Wrigley Field, and in 1937 it received the makeover that made it what it is today, with the now-famous bleachers, scoreboard and ivy.

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To learn more about Wrigley Field's 100 years you can visit WrigleyField100.com, which highlights each of Wrigley Field's 100 great moments as they're unveiled. Happy birthday to Wrigley, and good luck to the Cubbies!!! Now, if only they could win the Series for the first time in over a century...

The Greenville Drive at Fluor Field - opening day

Happy opening day!!! Yesterday Greenville Drive baseball returned to Fluor Field with the season opener against Kannapolis Intimidators. The first pitch was thrown by retired Sergeant Michael Batton, who served as an active duty Marine for 10 years before being injured in combat in Iraq in 2006. Greenville managed to tie it up in the eight inning, and the final score was 7-6 after the 10th, with The Drive coming through with a victory in their first home game.

Greenville’s baseball stadium is located on S. Main Street in the West End. Modeled after Fenway Park (home of the Boston Red Sox), Fluor Field even has its own “Green Monster,” a 30-foot high wall in left field with a manual scoreboard. The dimensions all around the outfield wall are to the same specifications as Fenway Park, including “Pesky’s Pole” in right field. Home to more than 70 Greenville Drive home games a year (unless they get rained out like last year!), the stadium also hosts a number of other functions, including the St. Patrick’s day festivities we attended last year and other special sporting events.

On May 28, 2005 with the ground-breaking in what used to be a lumber yard, the construction of West End Field began. Less than 11 months later on April 6, 2006, the Drive defeated the Columbus Catfish 6-1 in the first game played in the new stadium. That year the Field was selected as the "Ballpark of the Year" by Baseballparks.com, an award given to the best new/rebuilt ballpark, whether it's from the Major, Minor or Independent Leagues. On February 26, 2008 the stadium was officially renamed Fluor Field at the West End after a corporate partnership was reached between the Drive and Fluor Corporation.

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A Minor League team, the Greenville Drive is a Class A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox and a member of the South Atlantic League. Previously the team played in Columbia and was known as the Capital City Bombers. Our mascot is a frog named Reedy Rip'it, and we’ve become accustomed to seeing him at events around town, such as last summer’s Park Hop.

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Check out this season’s schedule here, and for ticketing and other information visit the official site of the Greenville Drive here. Great editorial by the Greenville News here.

End of summer checklist

Attend the Park Hop closing celebration – check!

Held at Conestee Park, this event was the culmination to months of “park hopping” to complete the scavenger hunt sponsored by LiveWell Greenville. We visited 16 of the 17 parks featured (and technically I don’t believe the Fountain Inn Farmer’s Market counts as a “park”) and although we didn’t win any of the adventure-themed prizes, the boys had loads of fun running around Conestee during the game, they love their new shirts, and we had the chance to visit nine parks we had not yet been to. As Greenville county Park Hop 2013 is over, keep up to date with next summer’s hop at parkhop.org. I can’t wait to see which parks are chosen next year; hopefully one or two close to us make the cut, and the majority are a little more toddler-friendly than this year’s. (Cedar Falls Park was my favorite of the new parks visited on the hop…)

 

Run into random university mascot during storytime at the local library – check!

Sponsored by Cocky’s Reading Express (a literacy outreach program), the USC mascot and friends read a few books, posed for pictures with fans and gave each child in attendance their very own book. Although the boys were a bit weary of the life-sized rooster sporting a giant beak and talons at first, they warmed up after the bird took several tumbles during Chicken Little’s “The Sky is Falling.” End result = lifelong Gamecock fans? Not just yet, it will take a little more than a free book. Dear Clemson Tiger – do you know how to read also?

 

Check on the progress of the construction crew down the street – check!

The rain has really slowed them down, but a few days ago the site was buzzing during one of the few cool, dry days we’ve had this summer. Favorite construction equipment? The dump trucks and excavators.

 

Catch Downtown Alive – check!

The weekly music series at NOMA square ends with the last Thursday of August, so if you haven’t made it to downtown Greenville yet, you only have two more chances. With local, regional and national bands playing rock, blues, funk, and covers, this event is the single largest fundraiser for the Metropolitan Arts Council every year. Just remember: all the restaurants that have outdoor seating look like the perfect spot to enjoy the music while having a glass of wine or trying a local microbrew, but there is a citywide ordinance that says you must order food with your drinks if you want to sit outside.

 

Visit the doctor for well-visits – check!

On a glum and rainy day the boys walked out with a shot or two apiece, but luckily the day was saved by the arrival of Foršā avīzīte, the zine published by the cousins. Add in baking sugar cookies with our brand new train, plane and automobile cookie cutters, and you have two smiling kids.
 

 
Catch a Greenville Drive game at Fluor Field – check!

After our last attempt at supporting our local minor league baseball team was rained out, what would be the chances of it happening again? Luckily between the Playcation package, the finished library summer reading program, a Michelin family event and a completed Park Hop we had a few extra tickets. Lauris enjoyed some one on one time with dad watching the Drive play the Rome Braves on Tuesday and we have our fingers crossed the weather holds for tonight’s game.


A last visit to the Children's Museum of the Upstate before the school groups take over – check!

We didn't go to Grown-Ups Only night, the party for adults hosted by the museum as a fundraiser, but we did have a ton of fun on several of the humid and hot days here in Greenville. As these tickets were also part of our Playcation package I really feel as though we got our money's worth, having visited the museum and the waterpark and having been rained out twice at Fluor Field. We'll definitely be taking advantage of this deal next summer!

Neither of the boys will be attending school this fall, but I still feel this sense of urgency to maximize every day remaining, take advantage of every opportunity and get the most out of the last days of summer. We've had a cool spell in addition to the rain, and I sense closet organizations, end of summer garden work and fall activities taking over our schedule in the next weeks. However until then we'll have to squeeze in a few more evenings spent downtown, more meals centered around all the wonderful fresh produce available this month and some time out on the porch swing reading books & sipping lemonade. Happy final days of summer, my friends!