The Richmond Flying Squirrels host theEastern League All-Star game.
Photos courtesy of the Richmond Flying Squirrels
“We’re not in the baseball business,” says Todd “Parney” Parnell, COO of the Richmond Flying Squirrels. “We’re not in the entertainment business—we’re in the memory-making business.”
Business will be booming come July 7-10, when the Squirrels host the Eastern League All-Star baseball game at the Diamond for the first time in franchise history. It’s also the first minor league All-Star event to be held in Richmond since the Richmond Braves played host in 1992.
Another first: Usually a two-day event, the All-Star celebration will stretch over a full four days this year—and extend far beyond the Diamond. The Squirrels worked closely with area groups like the Richmond Chamber of Commerce, Richmond Retail Merchants Association, and Venture Richmond to create a suite of excursions and events to complement the game. Mayor Levar Stoney will host a free kickoff event on Brown’s Island Sunday night, Big and Rich will headline the massive All-Star Week Country Music Jam at the Richmond Speedway on Monday, a celebrity home run derby anchors a full slate of Tuesday events, and it all culminates Wednesday night when the Eastern League All-Stars take the field. “There was so much we had to show off in Richmond, we just couldn’t do it in two days,” says Parnell. It’s all in the service of making memories, on and off the field: “These are events that people will still be talking about in 25 years.”
First pitch in the Eastern League All-Star game is at 7:05 p.m. on July 10 at the Diamond. For a full schedule of All-Star events and tickets, go to MiLB.com/Richmond/events/all-star.
This article originally appeared in our August 2019 issue.
