05/04/2004 1:30 PM - It’s been a long time since the 2003 baseball season ended for the T-Bones. That’s given the front office staff plenty of time to come up with one of the best promotional calendars around. Fasten your seat belts and come along for the ride – it’s going to be one hot summer at CommunityAmerica Ballpark, headlined by Pete Rose’s appearance on May 24th!

Weekly promotions will be top-notch. Watch skydivers swoop down over CommunityAmerica Ballpark every Friday night and, after the game, run the bases just like the T-Bones during Bob Evans Kids Run the Bases. And if you like watching fireworks extravaganzas, CommunityAmerica Ballpark is the place for you on Saturdays. Whether you’re in a seat or on our grass berm, it’ll be a spectacular show! The fun doesn’t stop there. Monday nights (except May 24th) are baseball card nights, sponsored by KaleidoScoops. Come on out to CommunityAmerica Ballpark for all four nights and get a complete set of the T-Bones! Tuesday nights are for hot dog lovers, as it’ll be Dollar Dogs for everyone. Wednesdays, you can come be a part of the Sam’s Club Family Nights. Where else can you take a family of four to the ballpark and feed them for just $25? And if all those lines and circles are a mystery to you, learn to keep score with our own Lou Spry before all four Sunday games.

Collect bobble-heads? Or know someone who does? C’mon out for any of our five bobble-head nights. It starts with 2003 Northern League MVP Eddie Pearson on Opening Day, May 20th, presented by CommunityAmerica Credit Union. On June 24th, Cabela’s will be presenting “Dirty” Al Gallagher bobble-head night. July 15th will be the likeness of former Royal Danny Jackson, presented by Price Chopper. August 27th, the likeness of the winner of our eBay bobble-head auction, Kurt Scholla, will be presented to thousands of fans. And to cap it all, Royals 1985 World Series hero Darryl Motley will be the bobble-head of honor on August 29th.

Well, what about other giveaways? The T-Bones have that covered as well. If you’re a fan of magnet schedules, you can get yours on May 20th, 21st, or 22nd – any of the nights of our opening weekend. June 3rd will be your chance to get a Beverage Koozie, courtesy of Falcon Lakes Golf. Water bottles will be the item of choice on June 16th, presented by Subway. And if your voice isn’t enough, get your ThunderStix on June 17th courtesy of the Greater Kansas City Area YMCA. July 18th fans 18 and over will receive complimentary T-shirts courtesy of the Kansas Lottery. August 4th the dreaded start of school is in the air, and CommunityAmerica Credit Union will be handing out Back to School Survival Kits to kids 14 and under. Mini-bats will be the giveaway item to fans on August 5th courtesy of Yellow Transportation. On August 7th, fans will have a chance to really get into the action with the Coca-Cola Rally Towels. August 19th will feature a stylish T-Bones baseball cap, courtesy of Somers Eye Center. Fans 21 and over will receive a Budweiser cap on August 26th, rounding out the packed giveaway schedule.

Fans last season flocked in droves to CommunityAmerica Ballpark for theme nights. We’ve brought the old favorites back and added new ones for 2004. We’ve got Mullet Night on June 3rd, Elvis Night on August 17th and 70’s Night on July 16th, three fan favorites back for seconds. It doesn’t stop there, though. Two nights saluting local universities are also taking place: the Nebraska Cornhuskers on May 22nd and Missouri Tigers on May 23rd. Mom and Dad will also be saluted, with the Kansas City’s #1 Dad Contest on June 16th and Mother’s Appreciation Night on June 25th presented by CommunityAmerica Credit Union. There are all kinds of other theme nights, too: Guaranteed Win Night on June 15th, Wizard of Oz Night on June 26th, Country Music Night on June 29th, Negro League Retro Jersey Night on August 5th, Hawaiian Luau Night presented by Luxaire, Dey Distributing and the Make-A-Wish Foundation on August 28th and Military Appreciation Night on August 30th. Another night which is sure to be wild and crazy is the Guinness Records Night on July 30th, presented by Legends Mall. Join us at CommunityAmerica Ballpark as we attempt to set the record for number of records set! We’ve also got the Muscular Dystrophy Association softball game prior to the game on July 17th.

If you liked the crazy mascot acts from 2003, they’re back for seconds, too. Rockin’ Ray and the Skyy Dogs will make their appearance on May 21st; BirdZerk will be making two appearances, May 22nd and August 25th and Zooperstars! will be back on July 7th.

If that’s not enough for the kids, we’ve got a Boy Scout Camp-Out on June 5th where kids can camp out on the ballfield all night and Girl Scout Night on July 16th. There’s also a special Education Day at 11:05 am on May 27th, where schools can come out and attend reading stations all around the ballpark. And Camp Day, a 12:05 pm game on June 16th, should be a blast as kids from local camps head to CommunityAmerica Ballpark! Kids of all ages will love the Principal Family Fun Fest on August 25th.

For the adults, we have some other interesting stuff. Flash Network is presenting a Businessperson’s Special with free wireless access at CommunityAmerica Ballpark on May 27th and June 16th – both day games – so fans who have wireless access can make the ballpark their office for the day! There will also be Providence Health Screenings on June 25th, July 17th and August 1st. Finally, if you’re looking to wind down with some fresh beer, we have Budweiser Fresh Dates on July 15th and August 26th.

The regular season will cap off with Fan Appreciation Night on September 1st – and chances to win all kinds of valuable prizes. Join us for the fun all summer long!