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Beyond Natick: Taking in a Red Sox game at Fenway during the pandemic

April 9, 2021 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

I’ve been attending Opening Day at Fenway for ages, and it usually seems like a lot better idea leading up to the game than when I actually get there and freeze my butt off. But traditional pre-gaming with friends, and enjoying the sights, sounds & smells of the park do keep me coming back.

Last year’s Opening Day didn’t really happen due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and this year’s didn’t look particularly welcoming given how early we are along the vaccination path. The state gave sports venues the go-ahead to let in fans, at 12% of total capacity, as of March 22. For Fenway that meant between 4,000 and 5,000 fans sprinkled across 37,000 or so seats.

fenway opening day red sox

Our Opening Day experience was nothing like any we’d had before.

I usually take public transportation, but am still avoiding that for now. My wife dropped us off and picked us up in Kenmore Square without hitting traffic either way.

The buzz around the park was muted, though fans were sitting outside and inside, and imbibing at staples such as Cask ‘n Flagon and the Bleacher Bar. A few food vendors were allowed to sell sausages and other ballpark delicacies. A David Ortiz impersonator mugged with fans, and a few TV reporters scrounged for fans to yak with.

fenway opening day red sox

There was no line to get into the park, except for a few clumps of fans here and there who hadn’t prepped their smartphones before arriving. The Sox are delivering all tickets digitally via the MLB Ballpark App, and before you arrive at the park you supposed to fill out an online health survey on the app. When you complete the survey it turns your e-tickets a slightly different color and signals to the ticket checkers that you’ve attested to a clean bill of health. The Sox return home on April 16.

Pro tip: If you already have the app on your phone, just make sure you update it to the latest version, as the older version doesn’t include the health survey.

The Sox at this point are only selling seats through April, as they evaluate their next moves as the state reopens. Tickets cost an absurd amount as always, though note that face value prices vary based on the teams being played and the day of the game.

Once in the park, the crowds are small and many concession stands are closed. Lines at the open ones are refreshingly short, or non-existent. No cash allowed: All payments are contactless.

We were relieved to see no traffic at the restrooms either.

Fans are required to wear face coverings, and we were happy to see everyone complying. You can unmask while eating or drinking at your seats.

Pro tip: to those of you who were glasses and have the option to wear contacts: You might want to go with the contacts if it’s chilly out since you’ll otherwise spend much of the game defogging.

fenway opening day red sox

We were a good 6 feet from anyone else, and loved the fact that we didn’t have a parade of fans traipsing back and forth in front of and around us the entire game as is usually the case.

Yeah, I’m one of those crusty types who goes more to watch the game than to take part in all the extracurriculars.  I loved not being harassed by the official photo takers or being blocked by roving food vendors.

Ushers don’t quite know what to do with themselves, pacing back and forth among the empty seats. Some employees are relegated to walking around with signs reminding fans to wear masks.

Fans tried to rev things up, with occasional chants of “Let’s Go Sox!” breaking out and a weak wave attempt or two eventually giving way to the lack of a connected crowd.

fenway opening day red sox

Opening Day featured an elongated pre-game roster of activities, acknowledgements of healthcare workers, and a great flyover.

Pro tip: If you are a healthcare worker and you/coworkers want to go to Fenway on the Sox, have your organization hit up customerrelations@redsox.com.The Sox are doling out thousands of free tickets to healthcare workers this season.

Zoom @fenwaypark pic.twitter.com/ZrxGXHjzlx

— swellesley (@swellesley) April 2, 2021

The Friday afternoon game itself was awful, with the Sox managing just 2 hits and losing 3-0 to the Orioles. But it was mercifully short given temps that barely cracked 40 and the lowly performance by the team’s offense and defense.

Overall, we felt safe at the game though understood the risks, and credit the Fenway staff for doing a good job of being present but not overbearing. As for the Sox, we’re not getting ahead of ourselves, but at least things are looking up results-wise after their very rough start.

fenway opening day red sox


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Filed Under: Sports

Digging Natick’s new Beach House indoor volleyball courts

February 20, 2021 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

When ticking off regrets, people often list things like never learning to play an instrument or becoming fluent in a second language. I’m OK just listening to music and using Google Translate. My big regret is not playing more beach volleyball.

Now I’ve got no excuse if I want to go to the grave sand covered and complete: Natick’s new Beach House at 18 Tech Circle offers four indoor beach volleyball courts that can be rented by groups and that will be available for various league, clinic, and other play as well.

beach house

beach-house-palooza-1024x681 (1)

I got a sneak peek in early February, with temperatures outside near single digits, during a socially-distanced friends-and-family soft opening. Owner Steve Mugford, literally the first new person I’ve met mask-to-mask and elbow-to-elbow since the pandemic sent me into shut-in mode, gave me a tour of the venue, starting up high on the mezzanine overlooking the courts.

Mugford explained that this facility, which he built from the ground up, has been in the works since 2017. He and his team needed to navigate the town’s zoning and variance gauntlet and assure neighbors that the business would be a good fit (turns out they much preferred it to an earlier proposal for a car-related business).

Mugford, who used to live out this way but now resides in Cambridge, had actually been looking for something closer to home, such as an old warehouse. But properties were hard to find when he was first looking, and the Natick site became attractive.

It’s unfortunate that Beach House got its go-ahead during the pandemic, and while it is initially opening under state-issued capacity restrictions, Mugford looks forward to a grand opening in the fall once various kinks are worked out. He doesn’t really want to make a splash with an indoor beach during the summer.

beach house volleyball

 

Natick beach club

Memorial Beach at Dug Pond this is not. For one thing, it has no water to swim in. It’s all about the sand and space—90×160 feet of court space with a 30-foot high ceiling. That’s roomy enough for four full volleyball courts, or even regulation FIFA beach soccer. Ample lighting is provided via windows and LEDs.

The sand, from a quarry in New Hampshire, is a cushiony 18 inches deep and was delivered via dozens of dump truckloads last year.

You might not think too much of the sand you’ve trudged through, but Mugford says he now knows way more about sand than he ever thought he would. The Beach House sand simulates that from Hermosa Beach in California, which is known for its beach volleyball scene. The sub-angular, or rounded, sand used at the facility resists compacting but provides good traction for making spectacular leaping plays.

The sand is treated with a special oil, too, so that it doesn’t get dusty. Lessons learned about keeping the dust down from indoor equestrian and monster truck events has been applied at Beach House. A fancy HVAC system keeps the air flowing and clean, too.

I picked up a handful and let it slip through my fingers. It’s got a silky feel and it didn’t wind up on my steering wheel on the drive home.

It’s also warm. That’s thanks to radiant heating that snakes below the surface via 5 miles of heating coils configured in 77 loops. “I’m really proud of this set-up,” says Mugford, who discovered beach volleyball in his younger days while training in Florida as a competitive swimmer.

He enjoyed beach volleyball so much though that he later moved to California after college so that he could play as much as possible, washing dishes to make ends meet.

With that somewhat out of his system he embarked on a 20-year-plus career at Capital One, leading marketing for the company before most of us probably heard of it.

But Mugford has never shaken beach volleyball from his system. He and friends annually trekked to Rhode Island for a volleyball-palooza outing, and homage is paid to that with an “Entering Palooza Beach” sign adorning one the Beach House walls along with signs for Hermosa, Manhattan, and Miami Beach (there’s no such thing as Palooza Beach in R.I.).

And now Mugford’s got beach volleyball courts of his own closer to home. Such facilities are rare in the area, but fairly common in countries like Sweden and the Netherlands, he says.

More than volleyball

Natick’s Beach House could potentially cater to customers who would use it for anything they might do at the beach, including let their kids just run around, make sand castles, etc. Cornhole and other games for bigger kids are also available.

“I want it to be a great community resource,” says Mugford, whose other interests include supporting charter school development. “I’m thinking of using it for whatever you’d use a beach for.”

The Beach House will also be used for cross training hardcourt volleyball players and other athletes. Former longtime Boston Celtics strength and conditioning coach Bryan Doo will run the gym at the Beach House, where the sand will play a key role in fitness training.

As Mugford says: “Sand’s good for you.”

beach house weights

 

beach house play

beach house kids

 

beach house cornhole

 



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Filed Under: Business, Sports

Natick high runners eligible for Greater Framingham Running Club college scholarships

February 15, 2021 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Natick High School student-athletes are among those eligible for two $500 scholarships sponsored by the Greater Framingham Running Club.

The scholarships will be presented to local high school runners who plan to attend either a two or four-year accredited college or university and who also intend to run cross-country, track or recreationally while in college.  The winning applicants must exemplify dedication, leadership, running talent, commitment and academic achievement.  That is, the award will not necessarily go to the runners in the greater Framingham area with the most success in running, but the track or cross-country team members who have always been committed and consistently work hard to persevere, combined with academic achievement.

Applications are available now and are due by March 31.

natick track

 


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Filed Under: Schools, Sports

Natick business visit: we stop by the new PGA Tour Superstore

February 4, 2021 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

In a crafty move, the PGA Tour Superstore in Natick welcomed those who golf or are golf-curious to its grand opening at 1398 Worcester St. (Rte. 9 east), in the former Michaels art supply store. We dropped by to visit the 34,000 sq. ft. retailer to see what they’ve done with the place after a gut remodel achieved in a sub-part time of about four months. Hey, it’s not their first swing at this kind of thing. The Natick location marks  PGA Tour Superstore’s third Boston-area location (Braintree and Peabody are its other area outposts), and 45th store overall.

PGA Tour Superstore, Natick

“We’re definitely rolling and so excited to be here. It’s been a lot of effort to get everything together to get to this point, and a lot of fun,” assistant general manager Tyler Clerverdon said.

The PGA store, short for Professional Golfers’ Association, offers what you would expect in a store of its massive size—all the golf gear and apparel you could ever want, on a grand scale. An entire wall of just golf balls. An entire wall of just shoes. Aisles of just clubs. You get the idea. The store’s emphasis is on golf, but it also offers tennis equipment and apparel.

PGA Tour Superstore, Natick

When we stopped by, a bunch of families were having fun puttering about the 1,500 sq. ft. putting green area, while the virtual golf center’s bays were filled with those trying to find the perfect club or improve their swings. There are four bays for club fitting, and four practice bays, with practice bay rentals available at a rate of $10 by the half-hour. You can bring your own clubs, but not your own bag. And if you’re wondering why you must wait a few minutes when there’s an empty bay right over there, that would be due to physical distancing requirements. The virtual golf center offers lessons in two additional bays, and is staffed with certified instructors.

PGA Tour Superstore, Natick

The 10 bays have different purposes but use the same technology. Data-driven improvement metrics are very big here. To make every swing count, each practice bay is outfitted with ball flight launch monitor technology, as well as video swing capture and playback capabilities. The idea is to give golfers concrete feedback about how to improve their overall game.

With winter looming long, golf courses frozen solid, and a dearth of things to do that seem safe during a time of pandemic, it’s likely that PGA Superstore will see a steady stream of the activity-starved. If those improved or newfound golf skills transfer over to the outdoor links come spring, so much the better for Natick’s newest addition to the route 9 retail landscape.

PGA Tour Superstore, Natick

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Filed Under: Community, Entertainment, Shopping, Sports

Great day for goat soccer at Natick Community Organic Farm

November 27, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Good to see the Natick Community Organic Farm animals getting their exercise, and putting post-Halloween pumpkins to good use.

goat pumpkin natick community organic farm

The farm is hopping these days, and we’re not just talking bunnies.

natick community organic farm

natick community organic farm

You can take a self-guided audio tour by scanning QR codes along various parts of the farm to learn about the animals, farm history, and more.

But if you require the more personal touch, the farm is hosting tours this Thanksgiving weekend (Friday/Saturday/Sunday). It costs $54 per 6-person group. Get more details on the #s and more.


 

Filed Under: Animals, Sports

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