The 2024 Kingswood Babe Ruth and Cal Ripken Opening Day is this Saturday, May 4

The KCRBL traditional opening ceremony, parade, and activities begins this Saturday, May 4, at 9 a.m. at the Nick Recreation Park. We have also combined Opening Day with Picture Day. Plus, we will have our Snack Shack open selling food, selling raffle tickets, collecting drink donations, and more! 

Players and coaches for all Cal Ripken baseball and Babe Ruth softball teams will gather at the pavilion at the Nick beginning at 8:30 a.m. in uniform.

At 9 a.m., the teams will parade from the pavilion down the walkway past the Snack Shack and onto Jocker Field for our opening ceremony, with the National Anthem, announcements, thank yous, first pitches, and a surprise or two! . 

The ceremony is over by 10 a.m., but we encourage everyone to make a day of it. We will have softball games beginning at noon and baseball practices all day on both Jocker and Kendall Fields. Plus, it is also Picture Day – details and schedule are below.

The Snack Shack will be open all day, selling coffee, water, soda, Gatorade, hot dogs, burgers, popcorn, candy, and other snacks. The Snack Shack is a major fundraising effort every year.

Plus, we will be holding our annual Opening Day raffle! Tickets will be $1 for 1 ticket, $5 for 6 tickets, and $10 for 15 tickets. Prizes include a brand new bat backpack, a blaster box of Topps 2022 Series One baseball cards ($20 value), a baseball batting helmet ($25 value), a water jug ($20 value), an adult XL Kingswood Cal Ripken shirt, and a youth girl’s small Kingswood Cal Ripken shirt. We will draw the winning tickets at 1 p.m.

So come enjoy a day of ballgames, friends, and food at the Nick on Saturday, May 4.

PICTURE DAY

Picture Day is part of Opening Day, on Saturday, May 4. The schedule that follows lists the scheduled time for each team. Each player will have their picture taken and there also will be a team picture done for each team. 

The picture order form is printable from this link:

https://www.canva.com/design/DAFAay7IyIA/OTCd1dnnCvEzNhJFt1mqyQ/view?utm_content=DAFAay7IyIA&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=editor

Please print and fill out the form ahead of time to expedite the picture-taking process. However, copies of the form will be available from the photographer if necessary. As you can see on the form, there are two attractive packages plus add-ons. Payment is due on Picture Day via cash, check, or Venmo. No credit cards.

Teams should arrive at the pavilion at the Nick 10 minutes before their scheduled time slot to ensure they are assembled and ready when their turn comes up. 

The Picture Day schedule: