Rawhide to Re-Brand as Toros to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage
July 25, 2018 - California League (CalL1)
Visalia Rawhide News Release
VISALIA, CA - The Visalia Rawhide, in conjunction with Minor League Baseball (MiLB), announced today that the Rawhide will be rebranded as the Visalia Toros for a six-game homestand from July 31 through August 5 to be named "Taquiza y Toros." Taquiza y Toros, as a part of the "Es Divertido Ser Un Fan" initiative and "Copa de la Diversión" program from MiLB, will feature new and unique promotional elements to celebrate the heritage of the Hispanic population in Tulare & Kings counties.
"We're very excited to bring back the Toros re-brand for the second straight season," said Rawhide/Toros General Manager Jennifer Reynolds. "We had so much success over our Taquiza y Toros weekend last year and welcomed many new fans to the ballpark that had never experienced Toros (and Rawhide) baseball before. We hope that the program will reach new heights again this summer."
The Toros rebrand will once again include all aspects of the Rawhide organization: the Visalia players will wear all-new uniforms and hats for the series and an all-new merchandise line will be available to fans with the Visalia Toros emblem. Furthermore, Recreation Ballpark will be transformed for the six-day event.
Last season, Visalia was one of four teams across MiLB to participate in the Es Divertido ser un Fan initiative, which was intended to help include, and be more welcoming to, the Hispanic fan base that is integral to the game of baseball at all levels. The re-brand was so successful that the Toros series was used as the ideal template for new teams to join the program this year. This season MiLB has launched the Copa de Diversión program, which now encompasses 33 teams from MiLB, including six clubs from the California League.
Food vendors representing various Hispanic style food varieties will be at the ballpark for the Taquiza y Toros series. The Toros will also be bringing in new and distinct beer flavors to celebrate the weekend and will be offering margarita specials in the Hall of Fame Club. The event will feature a festive atmosphere and will include live music, folklorico dancers, a mariachi band and postgame fireworks on August 3, and a water slide in the Kid's Corral on August 6.
The Taquiza y Toros weekend will be dedicated to the memory of George "Cuco" Serrato. Serrato was an employee of the Visalia Parks and Recreation department whose love for the game played an instrumental part in bringing baseball to the North side of Visalia. Serrato's vision led to the beginning of the Visalia Angels baseball team. Because of his contributions to the Visalia baseball community, the baseball field at Crowley Elementary School was named in his honor in 1992. Mary Serrato, a relative of George, has been an employee of the Visalia baseball club for nearly two decades.
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