Purple Game 2.0 Comes to Spirit Communications Park
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COLUMBIA, S.C. - The Fireflies will bring "Purple Game" to Spirit Communications Park for the second straight season. "Purple Game 2.0" is scheduled for Thursday, August 31st when Columbia faces the Asheville Tourists in their final regular season home game.
"Last season's Purple Game was a tremendous success," said team president John Katz. "We are very excited to bring this event back to Spirit Communications Park, celebrating the life and career of John Blackwell, Jr. Our entire staff is looking forward to making our final regular season home game an experience that our community will remember for the entire off-season."
Spirit Communications Park payed homage to Prince last season on June 9, and plans to do the same for his drummer, John Blackwell Jr., who passed away on July 4. Blackwell played with Prince on and off for 12 years. He grew up in Columbia, SC, and graduated from Keenan High School in 1991. Blackwell started playing the drums at the age of 3, according to an article published by The State in 2004.
"John Blackwell, Jr. was an incredible artist and a genuinely good man," said Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin. "I thank the Fireflies for recognizing his contributions to Columbia and the world."
The Terence Young Experience will perform from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on the centerfield concourse adjacent to the Budweiser Bowtie Bar. Young resides in Columbia, SC, and has been a featured artist at the National Association of Music Merchants.
The Fireflies will wear special, Prince-themed jerseys for the game which will be up for auction during the game. (http://tinyurl.com/ydx8arra) Proceeds from the jersey auction will be donated to the Marching Keenan Raider "Rubber" Band from Keenan High School.
Tickets are still on sale now. Visit FirefliesTickets.com, the Spirit Communications Park ticket office or call (803) 726-4487 for more information.
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About the Columbia Fireflies
The Columbia Fireflies are the South Atlantic League affiliate of the New York Mets. Winners of Ballpark Digest's Best New Branding and Logo Award in 2016, the Fireflies play games across the southeast and mid-Atlantic regions, including against in-state rivals in Charleston and Greenville. The team partnered with the city of Columbia and Hughes Development to construct Spirit Communications Park, a multi-use outdoor sports and entertainment venue at the center of the BullStreet development. The Columbia Fireflies are owned by Hardball Capital, owners of the Fort Wayne TinCaps of the Midwest League and the Chattanooga Lookouts of the Southern League. For more information, visit ColumbiaFireflies.com, or follow the Fireflies on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
About Spirit Communications Park
Spirit Communications Park, the 2016 Ballpark Digest Ballpark of the Year, is a 365-day per year multi-use sports and entertainment venue located in the heart of downtown Columbia, SC. Spirit Communications Park is the home ballpark for the Columbia Fireflies, the South Atlantic League affiliate of the New York Mets. Designed for baseball, concerts, football, soccer and a host of other activities, the venue seats approximately 9,000 for sporting events and up to 15,000 for major outdoor concerts. With 16 luxury suites and a 7,000 square-foot Club Level Lounge, Spirit Communications Park can also host everything from business meetings to wedding receptions, and everything in between. The venue is open 365 days a year and serves as a public park with the wrap-around concourse representing 1/3 of a mile for walkers and joggers. For more information, visit www.SpiritCommunicationsPark.com.