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Just Four More Weeks to the First Big Train Pitch: It’s been 635 days, but who’s counting?

Message from Big Train Founder & President Bruce Adams

Big Train fans:

This week, the good news arrived. After a lost season in 2020 and a year of hard work by our newly reconstituted Bethesda Community Base Ball Club, Montgomery County has approved our plan for the return of Big Train baseball at Shirley Povich Field.

Just four weeks from today -- Saturday June 5 at 7 p.m. – a Big Train player will throw a pitch for the first time since July 31, 2019 when we won the Ripken League championship. It’s been 635 days, but who’s counting?

And I’m pretty sure you won’t be disappointed as we try to run our league championship string to a fifth season. Our Manager Sal Colangelo tells me he has been able to recruit another very talented team.

Over the last three months, we have taken great care to craft a rigorous plan to protect the health and safety of our fans, players, coaches, staff, and volunteers at Povich Field this summer. Montgomery County is allowing up to 250 fans to attend our games.

I am writing to you – our most loyal fans – to ensure you are fully informed about how you can secure your tickets to games and how you can support our efforts to bring the fun back to Povich Field this summer.

As you can imagine, our priority this winter and spring has been to do the homework necessary to secure permission from the county to allow us to bring fans back to Povich Field. We are now in a sprint to secure the sponsors and sell the picnics and camps and tickets that make Big Train baseball possible. We have four weeks to do what typically takes five months. We are an entrepreneurial community nonprofit organization dependent on earned income as well as generous contributions from our supporters.

We need your support now. Here’s how you can help:

Prospective Sponsors & Picnic Groups. If you know of prospective game sponsors or groups that might want to hold a picnic at Povich Field this summer, please email me contact information for the group(s) at bruce@greaterwash.org. In addition to birthday parties and end of season youth sports team celebrations, this is the perfect outing for your faith congregation, civic association, alumni association, or senior village.
Season Passes. Because we are limited to 250 fans, we need to sell tickets to specific seats. Fans will not be able to walk up and buy tickets at game time this season. Season pass holders will be given priority for reserving seats two days prior to seats being released for sale to the general public. Season passes for pods of four are on sale now for $175 and pods of two for $100. Buy a 2021 Big Train Season Pass.
Picnics. As we will open reservation and sale of game tickets about every ten days, the very best way to secure tickets to Big Train games in advance this summer will be to sign up for a picnic. We are very excited to have an all-star team of food providers -- Gregorio’s Trattoria, Catalyst Hot Dogs, and Bruster’s Ice Cream -- this summer. It is important we support them so they come back in 2022. Fans may secure tickets for any game during the season by reserving a picnic for at least four people. To reserve your picnic, please email me at bruce@greaterwash.org. Here’s the hot tip: To give you the option to know that you can, for example, take your daughter to a game for her birthday in late June or July, reserve a picnic for at least four people, and I will make sure you have your tickets.
“We Are Big Train” Honor Roll. In March, recognizing the difficulty of selling sponsorships in a time of great uncertainty, we reached out to you our most loyal fans. Many thanks to the 68 of you who have joined our “We Are Big Train” Honor Roll. Joining our Honor Roll by making a monthly contribution is a very important way you can help us get through these challenging times.

Thank you for your generous and continued support.

Now, let’s get ready to Play Ball!

Roll Train,

Bruce Adams

Founder & President

P.S. I want to hear from you. Please email me at bruce@greaterwash.org with any suggestions you have for improving your Big Train baseball experience at Shirley Povich Field.

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