RoughRiders host State Fair of Texas Night Friday, September 2
FRISCO, TEXAS (August 24, 2016) - The Frisco RoughRiders, the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers, in conjunction with the State Fair of Texas, are hosting State Fair of Texas Night at Dr Pepper Ballpark on Friday, September 2 when the RoughRiders host the Corpus Christi Hooks (Houston Astros).
The team will transform Dr Pepper Ballpark into the fair grounds for a night. In addition to the nightly State Fair area in the ballpark near left field, the club will have midway games available for fans to play and fair rides around the ballpark. Additionally, the first 500 fans through the gates get a free ticket to the State Fair of Texas, which opens September 30.
No State Fair experience is complete without the most delicious deep fried food on the planet, so the RoughRiders have invited Abel Gonzalez Jr., also known as "Fried Jesus," to Dr Pepper Ballpark. The five-time winner of a "Big Tex Award" and inventor of fried cookie dough, deep-fried butter, and the fried peanut butter, jelly, and banana sandwich will be serving up fried, delectable goodies for fans of all ages.
The RoughRiders players and coaches will also don unique State Fair of Texas-inspired uniforms that will be auctioned off for charity. These special uniforms will pay homage to the State Fair of Texas' most well-known and biggest (literally) character-Big Tex. Each year one of the highlights of the Fair is to see what new, Texas-theme shirt Big Tex will be wearing. This year, the Riders are honored to bring this tradition to the field. The front of the jersey, in typical western fashion, includes a representation of pockets on either side of the chest with pearl snaps and stars above. Near the bottom of the uniform there is a "Texas-sized" RoughRiders belt buckle, displaying the text "A Texas Tradition" and "Since 2003," the inaugural season of the Frisco RoughRiders. The back of the jersey celebrates the Lone Star State with a representation of the Texas state flag.
"The State Fair of Texas and RoughRiders baseball are two of the top family-friendly destinations in our great state," said the President of the State Fair of Texas Mitchell Glieber. "We're proud to partner with the RoughRiders as they pay tribute to Big Tex and the State Fair of Texas on this special night."
The jersey auction will benefit the Kids Shouldn't Have Cancer Foundation in memory of Jonny Wade. The Kids Shouldn't Have Cancer Foundation was founded in 2016 in memory of Jonny Wade, shortly after brain cancer took his life at the age of eight. The foundation honors Jonny's wish that no other kids should have cancer by influencing legislation, raising money for research, and increasing awareness of pediatric cancer issues.
Tickets to State Fair of Texas Night and for all games during the final homestand of the season are available now online at RidersBaseball.com, via email at [email protected], over the phone at (972) 731-9200, or in-person at the RoughRiders box office.
About the RoughRiders
The Frisco RoughRiders are the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers and play their games at beautiful Dr Pepper Ballpark in Frisco, Texas. The team was founded in 2003 and has finished first among all Double-A franchises in attendance in each of the last 11 seasons (2005-2015). In August 2014, the RoughRiders were purchased by an ownership group led by Chuck Greenberg and Scott Sonju. The new ownership group, together with the city of Frisco, has spearheaded numerous major franchise improvements over the past two seasons, investing over $7 million in wide array of facility upgrades and improvements, including the new state-of-the-art HD video board, sound system, Bull Moose Saloon, InTouch Grille, Riders Outpost Team Store, and the newest and biggest creation, the 174-foot Choctaw Lazy River. The improvements made prior to the 2015 season earned the Riders and the City of Frisco "Best Ballpark Renovation" of 2015 by Ballpark Digest. More than 130 former RoughRiders players have gone on to play Major League Baseball, including All-Stars Chris Davis, Elvis Andrus, Adrian Gonzalez, Ian Kinsler, Nelson Cruz, and C.J. Wilson as well as current Rangers stars Derek Holland, Rougned Odor, and Mitch Moreland. For more information on the Frisco RoughRiders and Dr Pepper Ballpark, please visit RidersBaseball.com or contact Nathan Barnett at (972) 334-1976 or via e-mail at [email protected].
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