NORFOLK, Va. — There will likely be a sellout crowd at Harbor Park for Opening Day.
"At this moment, we have a couple hundred seats remaining, mostly in the picnic area," General Manager Joe Gregory said six hours before the first pitch, with a line standing at the ticket window outside his office.
It's not the usual Harbor Park sellout.
"We're at about 38 percent or 4,800 people," he said, as the park is socially distancing with seating pods 6 feet from each other. But those 4,800 will still get to experience most of the traditions a Tides game has to offer.
"We still have Build-a-Burger [relay race], Race Riptide, we have our Eyeball Race. Just last week Major League baseball said we can do it all on the field," Gregory said.
Harbor Park also has one "Speed Pitch" open in the concourse to make sure your arm strength didn't go anywhere during quarantine, and the team store is open for business! But they are encouraging everyone to wear a mask during these and other activities.
"Game-day staff will be wearing masks. All fans should wear masks. It's not required if you're vaccinated, but we're asking that if you're not eating or drinking, you should wear a mask," Gregory said.
And even with the protocols to keep you safe, it's still baseball.
"You'll still have all the sights, the smells, the sausage sandwich on the concourse, Dippin' Dots ice cream, the beverages, all the stuff you enjoy at a ballgame, they'll be here tonight."
The food and sweets were plentiful.
“I started here when I was only 16, selling snow cones,” said Flamingo Joe’s General Manager Andrew Copeland. “I definitely missed not being here last summer.”
Copeland was thrilled to see fans at his cotton candy stands.
“It’s great to give people cotton candy and snow cones, they haven’t had it in over a year,” Copeland said.
The game was a thrill for all ages and a welcome relief from the pandemic.
“I just like to have fun, watch the game and hang out with my friends,” said fan Danny Trice.
With COVID precautions in mind, Johnson & Johnson vaccines were on hand. Any fan who got the shot also scored a free ticket voucher.
“I was able to get a COVID shot; kill two birds with one stone,” said fan Sherrod Shell.
The game was a long-awaited taste of normalcy that fans can’t wait to soak in all season long.
“I am a nurse at Sentara, so it is awesome to be outside, and back to some sense of normalcy, seeing baseball in Norfolk,” said fan Lori Seaman.”