Minor-league stadium tour comes to Cedar Rapids

CEDAR RAPIDS -- A cross-country tour that celebrates minor league baseball set up outside of Veterans Memorial Stadium on Friday.

“It's the longest running, largest mobile baseball celebration,” said Fredrick Velez, Tour Manager for the Principal Financial Group Family Fun Fest.

This was the 13th stop on a whirlwind tour of 43 minor league ballparks. Velez and his staff have traveled like a big concert act. The financial giant brings its message to ballparks. “It's about the whole value that minor league gives people in terms of family oriented low prices,” said Velez. “We think it's the perfect marriage.”

The tour is set to bring its interactive games and colorful atmosphere to ballparks in 25 different states throughout the summer.

Velez said the tour had been through Cedar Rapids at least four times in the past seven years. They entertained a few thousand people prior to the game. “This (the stop) is actually a good one for us all the time,” he said.

The grounds outside the stadium buzzed with activity prior to the contest against the South Bend Silver Hawks. On this humid night a giant slide, a bungee run and two Kernels players helped in the company's production.

This stop on the tour coincided with something monumental for two siblings, Brittany Thompson, 12, and her brother Ayden Lane, 4, both of Cedar Rapids. Ayden said he had never been to a Kernels game. He got to come face to face at an autograph table with pitcher Jonathan Bachanov and infielder Michael Wing before the 6:35 p.m. first pitch. Minutes later the two went through the turnstiles.

“We're looking forward to watching people play baseball,” said Brittany before she shadowed her younger brother past the ticket taker.

A few minutes later the crowd had dissipated from where Velez and his tour had set up. But, it would soon be on to another stadium.