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Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp

Inaugural Jumbo Shrimp Season Presented by Community First

March 10, 2017 - Southern League (SL1)
Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp News Release


Inaugural Jumbo Shrimp Season Presented by Community First

Promotional schedule begins April 12 with Fireworks, Chuck Taylor Night Thirsty Thursday, Red Shirt Friday

PROMOTIONAL SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

FULL PROMOTIONAL SCHEDULE

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - As the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp enters the new chapter for baseball on the First Coast, Jacksonville-based Community First Credit Union has signed on to continue its support of baseball. Beginning this year and for the next three years - 2017, 2018 and 2019 - Community First will be the team's presenting sponsor, the team announced on Friday.

"We are thrilled to have Community First presenting the excitement and great affordable family entertainment our fans have come to expect from our organization," said Jumbo Shrimp owner Ken Babby. "We share a commitment to our guests and fans, delivering excellent customer service, and making a positive impact in the Northeast Florida community. This makes our partnership a natural fit and special opportunity to work together to bring our best to the people of the First Coast."

"We are proud to continue our longtime support of this family-friendly organization which provides an exceptional game-day experience and entertainment," said John Hirabayashi, CEO and president of Community First Credit Union. "The Jumbo Shrimp is a wonderful partner and an asset in our community. We look forward to another successful season."

Brimming with promotions that offer affordable family fun to the First Coast, the inaugural 2017 Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp season presented by Community First will open Wednesday, April 12, and continue for 70 fun-filled home dates through Labor Day Monday, Sept. 4. The Jumbo Shrimp have planned 15 fireworks dates, a dozen giveaways, three specialty jerseys and three free military family appreciation nights, plus a lineup of entertainment act appearances and theme nights ranging from Silent Movie Night to a 100th anniversary celebration of Chuck Taylors. Of course, the celebrations of National Shrimp Scampi Day (April 29) and National Shrimp Day (May 10) will also initiate new traditions at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.

"Whether our guests are here for the first time or have supported the team for years, we seek to create entertainment and promotions that delight the whole family," said Jumbo Shrimp General Manager Harold Craw. "Fans will have many traditional favorites and plenty of new and exciting ways to make memories at the ballpark."

Affordable Family Fun at Every Game

With tickets starting at $5 and hot dogs just $2 every game, the Jumbo Shrimp are always affordable. The family fun takes a unique form each day of the week, leading off with up-close, memorable experiences for the youngest Jumbo Shrimp fans.

Baptist Health Sunday Family FUNdays: Kids can feel like the pros before each Sunday home game, as families can play catch on the field at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. Following the game, kids 12 and under can run the bases. Each Sunday will also feature free face painting, balloon animals and popular kids characters, such as such as Dora, Bugs Bunny, Ninja Turtles, Elmo, Star Wars characters, superheroes, or princesses making visits to the ballpark. Normal game times will be 3:05 p.m., with 6:35 p.m. first pitches on Memorial Day Weekend Sunday, May 28; Sunday, June 4; Sunday, July 9; and Labor Day Weekend Sunday, Sept. 3.

VyStar Credit Union Charity Begins at Home Mondays: Local nonprofits have the spotlight at Monday home games. Each Monday, up to two local nonprofits raise awareness and funds throughout the night through ticket sales and the Launch-A-Ball promotion.

Community First Credit Union Two-For-Tuesdays: Tickets are 2-for-1 at the box office for Community First Credit Union members using their CFCU credit or debit card. Fans who are not Community First Credit Union members can sign up at the CFCU tent outside the stadium to receive the ticket offer that night. Fans can purchase $2 24-oz. beers at the canopy located adjacent to the Budweiser Tiki Terrace.

Date Night Wednesdays: Each Wednesday night home game (beginning May 24) is a great value for a date night. On those nights, the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville box office windows will offer a package o f a pair of tickets, two hot dogs, two drinks and popcorn for just $20. Two 12:05 p.m. Wednesday games will have their own themes, with National Shrimp Day offering varieties of shrimp on May 10 and Big Splash Day turning the stadium into a water park on July 12.

Mavericks Live and Budweiser Thirsty Thursdays: All Thursday home games are the best happy hour on the First Coast. Fans can purchase $1 (12-oz.) beers and $2 (24-oz.) Budweiser products at selected stands. Gates open at 6 p.m.

NAPA Family Fireworks and Red Shirt Fridays: Every Friday home game features postgame NAPA Family Fireworks! Jumbo Shrimp players and staff will wear red each Friday to support the military, and fans who wear red save $1 on a ticket at the box office, or can donate the $1 to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. Select Jumbo Shrimp Bold City red jerseys will be auctioned at the season's end to benefit Jacksonville United Service Organizations (USO).

Giveaway Saturdays: The first 1,000 fans through the gates each Saturday will receive a free "Prawn Prize" giveaway item. For a second straight season, gates open each Saturday at 5 p.m. for 6:05 p.m. games. The items include:

Saturday Prawn Prize (first 1,000 fans) Presented By

April 12 (Wed.) Magnet Schedule (first 5,000 fans)

April 15 Rally Towel Darley's Plumbing

April 29 Jumbo Shrimp Shirt Brightway Insurance

May 20 Crustacean Cap Hyatt Regency Jacksonville

May 27 Jumbo Shrimp Ben Hogan-style Golf Hat 121 Financial Credit Union

June 17 Jumbo Shrimp Neck Pillow JAX Sports Council

July 1 Vince Coleman Raines High School Bobblehead

July 3 (Mon.) Patriotic Cap The Nimnicht Family of Dealerships

July 22 Jacksonville Red Caps Negro League Jersey Florida Blue

Aug. 5 Jumbo Shrimp Backpack Baptist Health & Wolfson Children's Hospital

Aug. 12 Bowling Shirt Swisher International

Sept. 2 Main Street Bobble Bridge Community First Credit Union

Highlight the Calendar

Military Appreciation

The Jumbo Shrimp will continue to offer active military and veterans $5 reserved tickets to every home game. The team will also host three Military Family Appreciation Nights, when active military and veterans and their immediate families receive free general admission or reserved tickets. The nights are Sunday, May 28 (presented by Navy Mutual Life Insurance), Thursday, June 29 (presented by Navy Federal Credit Union), and Wednesday Aug. 23. Each Friday, the Jumbo Shrimp will wear their Bold City red jerseys to support the military, and fans who wear red save $1 on a ticket at the box office, or can donate the $1 to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. The jerseys will be auctioned at the end of the season to benefit Jacksonville United Service Organizations (USO).

Special Jerseys

In addition to their new Jumbo Shrimp jerseys, the home team will don three other special jerseys at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville this summer. For Christmas in July on Sunday, July 9, the Jumbo Shrimp will wear special ugly Christmas Sweater Jerseys that will be auctioned off during the game for charity. Paying tribute to Jacksonville's baseball heritage on Negro League Night, the Jumbo Shrimp will wear throwback Jacksonville Red Caps Jerseys on Saturday, July 22, when the first 1,000 fans receive a replica Red Caps jersey, courtesy of Florida Blue. Finally, as Superhero and Back-To-School Weekend conclude on Sunday, Aug. 6, the Jumbo Shrimp will play in special Aquaman Jerseys that will also be auctioned off during the game for charity.

Weekday Matinees

While playing most of their Sunday home games in the afternoon, the Jumbo Shrimp also have five early start times on weekdays. For the Monday, May 1, the 12:05 p.m. City Skip Day game, the ballpark will host an extended lunch and a business person's special for those taking the afternoon off to enjoy a ballgame. National Shrimp Day is Wednesday, May 10, so the Jumbo Shrimp will serve a wide variety of shrimp dishes throughout the ballpark at their 12:05 p.m. game. Scallop School Day presented by Applebee's is Monday, May 22, when the Jumbo Shrimp will host area schools for an 11:05 a.m. game. The 12:05 p.m. game on Wednesday, July 12, the Jumbo Shrimp will transform the Baseball Grounds into a water park for Big Splash Day. The Labor Day season finale is a 2:05 p.m. game on Monday, Sept. 4.

Special Appearances & Entertainment

The Fur Circus bring FURlarious pregame performances, in-game skits and a free postgame autograph to the ballpark on Saturday, April 15. Shrimp Wrestling will feature an entire cast under five feet tall from The Micro Wrestling Federation presenting a full-scale, WWE-type event at the game Thursday, May 25. For Golf Night on Saturday, May 27, PGA Tour professional golfer Jim Furyk will throw a ceremonial first pitch, while the Jumbo Shrimp host the Jim and Tabitha Furyk Foundation for a night of golf-themed fun and fundraising, and 121 Financial Credit Union presents a Jumbo Shrimp golf hat to each of the first 1,000 fans. The Inflatamaniacs inflatable entertainers will highlight the games on Father's Day Weekend Saturday, June 17 and Sunday, June 18.

Nights Unlike Any Others

With Chuck Taylor Night for their second home game Thursday, April 13, the Jumbo Shrimp will celebrate the legacy of an American icon as the Converse All-Star turns 100! Anyone named Chuck (Charles) or Taylor gets in free, plus Chuck Taylors will be throwing out the ceremonial first pitches. The Jumbo Shrimp front office staff will also sport custom red Jumbo Shrimp Chuck Taylors for the theme night and the rest of the Red Shirt Fridays throughout the season. The Jumbo Shrimp will open Father's Day Weekend Thursday, June 15, with You Might Be The Father's Day, an evening filled with suspense, intrigue and manila envelopes. The Jumbo Shrimp will distribute free pregnancy tests so you'll know if you need to return for Sunday's Father's Day game. Silent Movie Night is the theme on Tuesday, Aug. 8, when the Jumbo Shrimp will partner with Norman Studios to present the entire game with no PA announcements, no audible cheering and a black & white video board. Fans will be encouraged to use hand signals to cheer, as silence is the theme of the night!

Nods to Northeast Florida

Throughout the season, the Jumbo Shrimp have planned theme nights to celebrate holidays and the variety of Northeast Florida's communities and activities. The Jumbo Shrimp will open the Canines and Crustaceans Bark in the Park series on Monday, May 8, with the Jumpin' Jax Flyball Club performing special tricks. Dogs can see the Jumbo Shrimp game for free with a paying human companion that night, plus Monday, June 5; Wednesday, July 19; and Monday, Aug. 14. Other days the Jumbo Shrimp will host include National Shrimp Scampi Day and Scout Night (Saturday, April 29), Paint Night with Paint Night Jacksonville (Monday, May 8), the pregame Jax Miracle League Game (Saturday, May 20), Youth Sports Day (Sunday, May 21), Boat Day (Sunday, June 18), Get JAX'd Night (Wednesday, June 28), High School Reunion Night (Saturday, July 1), Bike Night (Tuesday, July 11), Florida Blue Night (Friday, Aug. 4), St. Johns County Night (Thursday, Aug. 10), Irish Heritage Night (Tuesday, Aug. 22), Clay County Night (Thursday, Aug. 24) and Nassau County Night (Thursday, Aug. 31). The Jumbo Shrimp also play holiday home games on Easter Sunday (April 16), Memorial Day Weekend (Wednesday, May 24-Sunday, May 28), Father's Day Weekend (Wednesday, June 14-Sunday, June 18), Independence Day Weekend (Friday, June 30-Monday, July 3) capped by Independence Day Fireworks presented by the Nimnicht Family of Dealerships, and Labor Day Weekend (Thursday, Aug. 30-Monday, Sept. 4) with the fireworks grand finale on Fan Appreciation Night Sunday, Sept. 3.

Where You Need To Go

The Jumbo Shrimp's full promotional schedule is available at www.jaxshrimp.com, where updates will also be posted throughout the season. All promotions are subject to change. Single-game tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 14, at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville box office. Online ticket sales will open at noon March 14.

Ticket packages including the 15 fireworks games, 36 weekend and holiday games, or all 70 home games are available now by calling the Jumbo Shrimp at (904) 358-2846 or visiting www.jaxshrimp.com .

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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