This Week in Jacksonville: Business Edition - How improvements to 121 Financial Ballpark will help downtown growth
Ken Babby, the Jumbo Shrimp owner, is our guest for This Week in Jacksonville: Business Edition. He speaks with gratitude, conviction, and appreciation of the business he owns and operates in Jacksonville.
Opening Week: Jumbo Shrimp kick off 2022 season on Tuesday
The opening day will feature a street festival between the ballpark and VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena for several attractions, including a climbing wall, street games and interactive vendor booths. DJ Kevin Peffer will provide music as well as a local high school drumline.
Jumbo Shrimp stadium is Marlinsโ alternate training site
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ As the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimpโs May 4 Opening Day approaches, 121 Financial Ballpark will serve as the alternate training site for the Miami Marlins once Major League Baseball Spring Training camps conclude. The Jumbo Shrimpโs home stadium is one of just 11 Triple-A venues across the country to receive a nod as an alternate training site. AdThe group of players reporting to the Marlinsโ alternate training site at 121 Financial Ballpark is expected to be determined and announced prior to Miamiโs Opening Day game on Thursday, April 1. Season tickets, mini plans, and group outings for the 2021 Jumbo Shrimp season are on sale now. Visit www.jaxshrimp.com or call the Jumbo Shrimp at 904-358-2846 for more information.
Heritage Classic between Raines, Ribault more than just a baseball game
Itโs an early season baseball game with only bragging rights on the line. But Raines and Ribault playing under the lights at 121 Financial Ballpark and donning the jerseys of a team from the long-gone Negro Leagues is a big story. The makeup game between the two Northwest Jacksonville rivals โwhich was originally scheduled for Feb. 12 as a preseason scrimmage โ is now an actual regular season game. Thereโs been a renewed focus on the rich baseball history here. That was the same place where the Negro League Red Caps played for three years.
Long break at 121 Financial Ballpark about to come to an end
Since then, the stadium changed its name from the Baseball Grounds to 121 Financial Ballpark, and COVID-19 has changed the way the world looks at large gatherings like sporting events. The Jacksonville baseball drought will finally come to an end on Feb. 12 when Raines and Ribault will hit the field for the High School Heritage Classic. โAs long as you are moving inside or around 121 Financial Ballpark, you must be wearing a face coving. Once you are seated in place in your seat you may remove your face covering.โWhile 121 Financial Ballpark has not hosted a game since COVID-19 began, fans have had the chance to attend other events there like bingo and movie night. Those events have helped the Jumbo Shrimp prepare for when fans return to the park for a ball game.
Raines, Ribault to play in 2nd annual High School Heritage Classic at 121 Financial Ballpark
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ As part of the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimpโs salute to Black History Month, the club will be hosting the second annual High School Heritage Classic exhibition game between Raines and Ribault high schools at 121 Financial Ballpark. The Raines and Ribault players will wear custom Jacksonville Red Caps uniforms in a tribute to the Negro Leagues team from 1938 to 1942. Throughout the exhibition game, there will be historical references to Negro Leagues players and teams. โPersonally, this is a dream come true,โ said Andrea Williams, the Jumbo Shrimpโs director of community relations. The Raines Vikings defeated the Ribault Trojans 8-4 in the inaugural High School Heritage Classic in February 2020.
EWC will face Savannah State in Jumbo Shrimpโs JAX Diamond Classic
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are building off of a successful high school baseball classic and branching out into college. The Jumbo Shrimp are partnering with BCSG 360 to host Historically Black Colleges and University programs Edward Waters and Savannah State in the inaugural JAX Diamond Classic on March 22, 2021 at 121 Financial Ballpark. โWe are excited and honored to host the JAX Diamond Classic,โ said Jumbo Shrimp executive vice president/general manager Harold Craw. โIt is with great pride we showcase our facility to not only the teams from Edward Waters and Savannah State, but also to their fans, alumni and supporters.โLast February, the Jumbo Shrimp hosted the inaugural High School Heritage Classic between Raines and Ribault at the Ballpark. Part of the proceeds from the game between EWC and Savannah State will be donated to bolster programs for college admittance, scholarships and college preparation for students.
Jumbo Shrimp to host Independence Day Fireworks Celebration on July 3
The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are hosting an Independence Day Fireworks Celebration at 9:15 p.m. Friday, July 3. The Jumbo Shrimp are capping capacity at 2,000 attendees, who will be placed in accordance with social distancing guidelines in the 121 Financial Ballpark seating bowl and bleachers. Tickets for the Jumbo Shrimps Independence Day Fireworks Celebration must be either printed in advance or displayed on a mobile device. We are thrilled to safely host guests for our annual Independence Day Fireworks Celebration at 121 Financial Ballpark, said Jumbo Shrimp executive vice president and general manager Harold Craw. All Jumbo Shrimp staff will be wearing face coverings, and guests are also strongly encouraged to wear face coverings.
Even without baseball, Jumbo Shrimp finding ways to bring fans back to ballpark
First up: a โFrozen 2โ movie night at 121 Financial Ballpark on Saturday night at 6:05 p.m.As Major League Baseball continues to debate on how to bring the sport back, minor league teams are still hard at work. But Jumbo Shrimp general manager Harold Craw said on Wednesday that the show, even if itโs not baseball, will go on. โAnd so our focus has been on the safety of the event.โThe Jumbo Shrimp arenโt the only team trying to come up with an idea to bring people to their stadium. While the Jumbo Shrimp say that was a good idea donโt expect to see 121 Financial Ballpark on Airbnb anytime soon. But even if there isnโt baseball, we will have something up our sleeve.โCraw says he was excited to see college sports coming back because that could bring some good news for the Jumbo Shrimp.