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Principal Financial Group Family Fun Fest Returns May 3rd |
On Sunday, May 3, 2009, before the Durham Bulls’ game against the Columbus Clippers, a section of Blackwell Street will be closed to traffic and open to the Principal Financial Group Family Fun Fest, an event that offers more than 20 attractions for people of all-ages.
Some of the attractions at the event include pitching cages, batting cases, bounce houses, super slides, bungee runs and a video game trailer.
“One of the biggest changes we have is with our video game arcade,” Bert Gould, president of ESI, said. “This year, for the first time, we actually feature all three major platforms, so there’s Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360 on there.”
Gould said the Fun Fest is also trying to secure handheld gaming devices such as the PSP.
For younger participants, there is a T-ball stadium and a jumping castle to play in, and for teenaged participants there are larger pitching and hitting cages, as well as a larger slide.
“We’ve always designed it to truly be a Family Fun Fest to make sure no matter what age you are, there’s something to entertain you,” Gould said.
For older participants in the Fun Fest, there is also a Minor League Baseball Museum which houses more than 100 years of history in baseball. Some of the memorabilia include a program from Mickey Mantle’s only rehab stint in the minor leagues and a autographed script from the movie “Bull Durham.”
“The Minor League Baseball Museum features thing from baseball bats in the 1880s to things from the Negro Leagues and women’s professional baseball,” Gould said. “There’s stuff from the movies in Hollywood, including a replica of Robert Redford’s bat “Wonderboy” in ‘The Natural.'”
The attraction will open three hours before the game at 2 p.m., and activities at the Fun Fest will wrap up at around 5:05 p.m., game time for the Bulls against the Clippers. Purchase of a ticket to the Bulls game is not a requirement to attend the Fun Fest, as admission to the event is free.
The May 3 stop is part of a tour of minor league parks around the country, and the attraction has drawn more than 250,000 fans per year since its inception in 2004.
Thanks to David Reynolds for this capcom story & graphic.
