One week ago, I took my dad to Minute Maid Park for the Astros Picnic in the Park. Ever since I saw the World Series trophy in January, at the Diamond Dreams Gala (see previous post), it has been my goal to find a way for my dad to see it in person. After all, he has been a fan of the Astros since before they were even called the Astros. The World Series win meant so much to him. Unfortunately, he has COPD so being up and about for extended periods of time is uncomfortable for him. The trophy did make stops across Texas but the only stop close to the house ended up being cancelled. I remembered seeing a notice about the Picnic in the Park, supporting The Astros Foundation, and decided to buy tickets as his Father's Day present. I felt I was taking a slight risk; I thought that he might say that he did not feel like attending. When I told him, though, his eyes lit up.
Essentially, on the day of the Picnic, attendees get to watch the game and then go down on the field for a picnic afterwards. Oh, and there was also a little goody bag that was handed out at the registration table. It included a shirt, picnic mat, picnic basket, and a book that chronicled the previous season in pictures. There were two tiers of tickets to choose from. The tier I chose included watching the game from the Lexus Field Club Lounge. It was a really nice lounge. It is located at centerfield on field level. Bonus! Everything in the lounge was free that day. They had hot dogs, sliders, salads, nachos, desserts, and more. Even the alcohol was free. The staff was extraordinary. Lashonda and Suzanne were super sweet and attentive as they made their rounds and Dave makes an amazing Cherry Vodka Sour...I may have had two or three. Hey, they were free. Suzanne warned us to watch out for home run balls that might fly into the lounge. That would have been epic.
I must admit, I did not even realize the game had started. I am so used to watching the games on TV and hearing every play announced. I looked up, saw a banner say "Strikeout" and heard people cheering. I just thought, "oops, haha. Guess it is game time." There was one time that I thought Suzanne's warning was going to become reality. The other team hit the ball and it came flying our direction. It ended up landing right outside of the lounge, directly in front of my dad and me. All of a sudden Springer ran up to get it. I wish I had known that was going to happen because I would have recorded it. The Astros were on fire that day. They even hit a Grand Slam!
In the middle of the game, they brought the trophy out in the lounge. My dad finally was able to see it and get his picture with it. We also saw a former Astro, I think my dad said his last name was Cabell, and Reid Ryan (Nolan Ryan's son).
At the end of the game, some of the players joined everyone in the lounge for a quick meet and greet. I almost made it up to Springer when everyone was called out onto the field for the picnic. On the field, they had tables arranged where fans could get autographs. There was also a buffet, a raffle, and at one point a chance to run the bases. The highlight, of course, though, was the autograph session. This is the only thing my dad and I stuck around for. He was wearing out. We got autographs from Collin McHugh, Dallas Keuchel, Max Stassi, Gerrit Cole, Brian McCann, and Ken Giles. Once we had the autographs, we snapped a quick picture with Orbit and wrapped up the day. My dad was completely worn out at the end of it all. It didn't help that his oxygen machine wasn't working properly that day. He said he had a great time, though, and I was so happy to be able to give him that experience.
WARNING: In case you want to attend, next year, please note that the autograph session is included with both ticket types. From the way the website was worded, it sounded like only the more expensive tickets included that feature. This was the only disappointment of the day. I almost feel that, if your main goal is to meet as many of the players as possible, it may be more advantageous to purchase the less expensive ticket. I believe while we were in the lounge, at the meet and greet that, to be honest, didn't last very long and was not excessively organized, everyone else was already getting the chance to get in line for autographs. My dad, with his condition, can not move quickly. We were one of the last people to leave the lounge. By the time we got on the field, some of the autograph lines were already closed. I have been to plenty of conventions across the country. I know how meet and greets and autograph sessions are run. I understand that this is a fairly new annual event but they could really benefit from someone with a knowledge of this type of convention. I would be more than willing to help out. At the end of the day, my dad was happy and that is all that counts. I just wanted to add this to advise any future attendees about what to expect.
Essentially, on the day of the Picnic, attendees get to watch the game and then go down on the field for a picnic afterwards. Oh, and there was also a little goody bag that was handed out at the registration table. It included a shirt, picnic mat, picnic basket, and a book that chronicled the previous season in pictures. There were two tiers of tickets to choose from. The tier I chose included watching the game from the Lexus Field Club Lounge. It was a really nice lounge. It is located at centerfield on field level. Bonus! Everything in the lounge was free that day. They had hot dogs, sliders, salads, nachos, desserts, and more. Even the alcohol was free. The staff was extraordinary. Lashonda and Suzanne were super sweet and attentive as they made their rounds and Dave makes an amazing Cherry Vodka Sour...I may have had two or three. Hey, they were free. Suzanne warned us to watch out for home run balls that might fly into the lounge. That would have been epic.
I must admit, I did not even realize the game had started. I am so used to watching the games on TV and hearing every play announced. I looked up, saw a banner say "Strikeout" and heard people cheering. I just thought, "oops, haha. Guess it is game time." There was one time that I thought Suzanne's warning was going to become reality. The other team hit the ball and it came flying our direction. It ended up landing right outside of the lounge, directly in front of my dad and me. All of a sudden Springer ran up to get it. I wish I had known that was going to happen because I would have recorded it. The Astros were on fire that day. They even hit a Grand Slam!
In the middle of the game, they brought the trophy out in the lounge. My dad finally was able to see it and get his picture with it. We also saw a former Astro, I think my dad said his last name was Cabell, and Reid Ryan (Nolan Ryan's son).
At the end of the game, some of the players joined everyone in the lounge for a quick meet and greet. I almost made it up to Springer when everyone was called out onto the field for the picnic. On the field, they had tables arranged where fans could get autographs. There was also a buffet, a raffle, and at one point a chance to run the bases. The highlight, of course, though, was the autograph session. This is the only thing my dad and I stuck around for. He was wearing out. We got autographs from Collin McHugh, Dallas Keuchel, Max Stassi, Gerrit Cole, Brian McCann, and Ken Giles. Once we had the autographs, we snapped a quick picture with Orbit and wrapped up the day. My dad was completely worn out at the end of it all. It didn't help that his oxygen machine wasn't working properly that day. He said he had a great time, though, and I was so happy to be able to give him that experience.
WARNING: In case you want to attend, next year, please note that the autograph session is included with both ticket types. From the way the website was worded, it sounded like only the more expensive tickets included that feature. This was the only disappointment of the day. I almost feel that, if your main goal is to meet as many of the players as possible, it may be more advantageous to purchase the less expensive ticket. I believe while we were in the lounge, at the meet and greet that, to be honest, didn't last very long and was not excessively organized, everyone else was already getting the chance to get in line for autographs. My dad, with his condition, can not move quickly. We were one of the last people to leave the lounge. By the time we got on the field, some of the autograph lines were already closed. I have been to plenty of conventions across the country. I know how meet and greets and autograph sessions are run. I understand that this is a fairly new annual event but they could really benefit from someone with a knowledge of this type of convention. I would be more than willing to help out. At the end of the day, my dad was happy and that is all that counts. I just wanted to add this to advise any future attendees about what to expect.
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