The Delmarva Shorebirds, the Low-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, have always had close ties to their community since their inception in 1996.
From Frank Perdue, “The Chicken King,” getting involved from the beginning, to Sherman the Shorebird making its way across Delmarva for various community events and philanthropy, the Eastern Shore of Maryland has felt the love of the sport from the Shorebirds for decades.
One of the biggest things the Shorebirds have always promoted and pushed is getting children involved with the team and encouraging family fun together at the ballpark.
The Brace Place and the club have teamed up once again for the Shorebirds’ “Hit the Books” program.
Last year, the program saw 50,000 students from 110 schools across the Delmarva Peninsula participate in the program. Sherman, the Shorebirds’ mascot, helped kick the program off by starting his annual School Visit Tour.
The “Hit the Books” program kicks off with a bookmark design contest. The winning design will be distributed to schools all over the region to help jumpstart the program.
The program encourages children to read outside of the classroom and to obtain certain goals. If the goals are met, the kids can earn two tickets to a Shorebirds game at the start of the season.
The schools that participate in the program will also take part in an on-field pre-game parade and then enjoy a family night of fun at the ballpark.
As an added bonus to the program, the two schools with the highest redemption rate will receive a donation from the Shorebirds.
A teacher or administrator who is interested in joining the program can reach out to Becky Trader via email (btrader@theshorebirds.com) or by phone (410-219-3112 ext. 175).
Some of the brightest stars for the Orioles (Jackson Holliday, Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, Grayson Rodriguez and Jordan Westburg) have played significant games with Delmarva on their way to the big leagues.
The late Ryan Minor was one of the most successful skippers to manage the Shorebirds on two separate occasions, while also starring for the club during his playing days.
The family-friendly atmosphere has been one of the biggest draws for the club, and the devotion to the surrounding communities helps keep the fans, especially children, involved.
What are your thoughts on the Shorebirds ‘Hit the Books’ program? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, Twitter (X) and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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