RiverDogs to Open Gates to Toys Everywhere, Celebrate 'Toys foR Us' Night at The Joe

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Amid the closing of the world's biggest toy retailer, the Charleston RiverDogs are paying homage to the end of an era and celebrating the magic of toys, in conjunction with Wonder Works, one of the nation's top specialty toy stores. The RiverDogs will turn The Joe into a place for all displaced toys from the shelves of Toys"R"Us both in the Lowcountry and nationwide, on Saturday, August 25 as part of "Toys foR Us" Night presented by Wonder Works at Joe Riley Park.
Geoffrey the Giraffe will be at the Joe welcoming kids of all ages, as the RiverDogs take the field in specialty toy-themed jerseys. With the help of Wonder Works' wonderfuntastical toy experts, the Charleston club will reserve Section 122 as a toy-only seating area for the night and are asking fans to bring new and gently-used toys for the MUSC Children's Hospital and the Salvation Army, in continuing its effort to find good homes for toys everywhere. Fans can also donate to the Toy Drive at three of the four Charleston area Wonder Works locations: Mt. Pleasant (Belle Hall Shopping Center), West Ashley (St. Andrews Shopping Center), and Kiawah Island (Freshfields Village).
In addition, the night will include a "golden ticket" drawing, in which attendees will have a chance to win one of three grand prizes -- $500 shopping sprees at Wonder Works! And, Wonder Works Toy Experts will be showing off and sharing some of the magical toys available at Wonder Works.
"When we heard of Toys"R"Us closing its doors, our first thought was: 'where will all these toys go and will the world forget Geoffrey the Giraffe?'," said RiverDogs Director of Promotions Nate Kurant. "This will be a night of fun for all those kids that don't want to grow up quite yet."
The Charleston ball club is also asking fans to share their favorite toys and trinkets on social media they would like to see featured on the specialty jerseys for the night. The Dogs' alternate uniforms will feature an alternate "backwards R" RiverDogs script complete with block lettering for numbers on the back. The rest of the uniform will be decided by the fans.

 

The magical night will begin with a ceremonial first toy toss from the mound, and finish with Fly-In Helicopters dropping 3,000 brightly-colored bouncy balls onto the field where one lucky fan will go home with up to $8,000, presented by NASH FM and Fox 24.
The RiverDogs will be dishing out dessert specials from a very special Easy-Bake Oven concession stand, along with some of the other favorite childhood treats of the '80s and '90s. There will also be a jersey auction throughout the game with the proceeds going toward the Campaign for MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital.
First pitch is at 6:05 p.m. as the RiverDogs take on the Greenville Drive, the Class A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox.
About Wonder Works
Wonder Works, locally owned for over 28 years, has been voted Best Toy Store by Charleston City Paper readers (2011 - 2018) and Charleston's Choice by Post & Courier readers (2016-2018). Wonder Works has received the national award of ASTRA Toy Store of the Year, as well as the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce's 2016 Milestone Award.
Wonder Works offers the largest selection of specialty toys in the Lowcountry, aiming to inspire creativity and a sense of wonder through hands-on-play. Wonder Works is the first to carry the hottest trends, as well as help entrepreneurs and toy manufacturers develop and bring their products to market. Most recently, they opened the nation's first Mattel store-within-a-store. Wonder Works' innovations have been covered by the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Southern Living, and MSNBC.
About the RiverDogs
The Charleston RiverDogs, the Class A affiliate of the 27-time World Champion New York Yankees, are Charleston's leader in affordable sports entertainment. Recently recognized with the Bob Freitas Award as the top Class A operation by Baseball America in 2017, the RiverDogs are coming off their most successful season when they welcomed over 300,000 fans through the turnstiles for the first time in franchise history.
RiverDogs single-game tickets, including options to the Riley Park Club, are now available for the 2018 campaign, the club's 25^th season as the RiverDogs and their "175^th season in dog years." Ticket information can be secured by contacting the box office at (843) 577-DOGS (3647) or online at www.riverdogs.com/tickets.
--RIVERDOGS--