Tom Mentzer of Gallitzin had to laugh at his 4-year-old nephew Alex Proudfit Saturday morning when he suggested to his family that they go to Blair County Ballpark to attend the Altoona Curve's open house.
Mentzer, an avid Curve fan, said, "We are ready for the season to start already."
The thought of warm summer nights and baseball, he said, helped fend off thoughts of the impending deep snow and bitter cold of the Gallitzin area.
Alex was asleep as members of the family happily agreed to go to the ballpark for the morning.
The mention of the ballpark woke Alex, who promptly said, "I want to go."
Mentzer, his daughter Sara, 16, and Alex were among a few hundred fans who strolled the bleachers, the clubhouses, the batting cages and the stadium production area, and who met Santa Claus and did crafts in the lower part of the stadium.
Alex had a chance to discuss things with Santa Claus, and, as part of the crafts, put together his version of what Curve mascots Diesel Dawg and Steamer look like.
The Mentzer family joined others like Ed Leori and his three sons, James, Joseph and Matthew, and Bev Robinson and her grandchildren, Kyla Amendola, and Matthew and Evan Bonanno.
Do the Leori kids like baseball?
"Yeah!" they all shouted, and, not to omit football, 4-year-old Matthew said he told Santa Claus he wanted a Steelers hat (and Legos) for Christmas.
It was not baseball weather. The sun was not shining and the temperature on the gray day hovered around 50 degrees, all of which reminded visitors that the holidays are about to begin, and the Curve open house was the season's keynote.
The price of admission was a can or box of food as a donation to the St. Vincent DePaul Society's Food for Families Soup Kitchen.
Few Curve fans brought only one item of food. Most brought bags full of goods, a reminder that in these hard economic times, the holiday season may be a bit tougher for many families than in the past.
U.S. Marine Sgt. Michael Hill manned drop boxes for Toys for Tots in his dress blues.
The sergeant, who has served two tours in Iraq, said his participation in the program to provide gifts for impoverished children "is something I am proud of."
He said when he was growing up in Philadelphia, he helped bikers collect and deliver toys to the city's Children's Hospital.
"It was quite a ride through Philadelphia," he said.
The Marines, stationed at Ebensburg, have drop boxes throughout Altoona, Cresson, Ebensburg and Indiana, and will begin distributing the toys on Dec. 5.
The Marines' warehouse has 3,000 toys waiting for distribution, Hill said.
Curve employees like Kirk Stiffler sold large containers of wedding soup, bread and other goods - the money from sales going to St. Vincent DePaul's food programs.
Rob Egan, the Curve's general manager, said the community has given a lot to the team in the way of support for the past 11 years, and the open house is a way for the Curve to give back.
He listed several charities the Curve works with and added, "It's really important to us."
Like the Mentzer family, the Curve is thinking about next season. Egan said the fans probably won't take much notice of some the stadium work that will be done, which includes improvements to the internal drainage system. But Mentzer added that there will soon be an announcement of a project to beautify the front of the stadium, which should catch the collective eye of Curve fans.
The price of admission was a can or box of food as a donation to the St. Vincent DePaul Society's Food for Families Soup Kitchen.
Few Curve fans brought only one item of food. Most brought bags full of goods, a reminder that in these hard economic times, the holiday season may be a bit tougher for many families than in the past.
U.S. Marine Sgt. Michael Hill manned drop boxes for Toys for Tots in his dress blues.
The sergeant, who has served two tours in Iraq, said his participation in the program to provide gifts for impoverished children "is something I am proud of."
He said when he was growing up in Philadelphia, he helped bikers collect and deliver toys to the city's Children's Hospital.
"It was quite a ride through Philadelphia," he said.
The Marines, stationed at Ebensburg, have drop boxes throughout Altoona, Cresson, Ebensburg and Indiana, and will begin distributing the toys on Dec. 5.
The Marines' warehouse has 3,000 toys waiting for distribution, Hill said.
Curve employees like Kirk Stiffler sold large containers of wedding soup, bread and other goods - the money from sales going to St. Vincent DePaul's food programs.
Rob Egan, the Curve's general manager, said the community has given a lot to the team in the way of support for the past 11 years, and the open house is a way for the Curve to give back.
He listed several charities the Curve works with and added, "It's really important to us."
Like the Mentzer family, the Curve is thinking about next season. Egan said the fans probably won't take much notice of some the stadium work that will be done, which includes improvements to the internal drainage system. But Mentzer added that there will soon be an announcement of a project to beautify the front of the stadium, which should catch the collective eye of Curve fans.
