HOW TO ATTEND A ROCK CATS GAME
The summer is here for all intents and purposes, which means that tickets for New Britain Rock Cats games are not going to be as easy to procure as they were in April and May.
With that in mind, the following is a primer for those who intend to attend ballgames at New Britain Stadium through the remainder of the 2007 and into the foreseeable future.
The Rock Cats' group ticket sales people do a tremendous job. Their work is the primary reason why the team's attendance skyrocketed when the Bill Dowling/Coleman Levy ownership group and pushes forward every year.
Groups naturally prefer to attend games on weekends, primarily Friday and Saturday nights, so what the team refers to as its pregame sale can climb within a few hundred of capacity, which is 6,146. Tickets for such games truly are at a premium.
The team makes is very easy to purchase tickets. There are the traditional ways, like stopping at Willow Brook Park and making the advance purchase at the ticket windows, or calling and ordering over the phone. But anybody who can handle a keyboard can purchase tickets online, too.
Whatever your preference, you have to think ahead. Rock Cats pocket schedules can be found all over central Connecticut and beyond. The schedule is also on www.rockcats.com. Scrutinize a schedule and make your plans for the summer because the days of leaving home at 5:30 p.m. for a 6:30 game and expecting everything to flow nicely are over.
On the day of the game, leave home early. Gates open an hour before game time, so if you're looking at a 6:35 start, plan on arriving at Willow Brook by 5:45 or so.
The reasons are traffic and parking. On nights when games are sellouts or near sellouts, cars can be seen stuck in a line that extends up South Main Street and onto Ellis Street.
When the line of vehicles enters the parking lot, the flow bottlenecks near the west side of the stadium where parking fees are paid. The money exchange process is somewhat less than fluid. Avoid coming late at all costs or you'll be listening to the first few innings on the radio and idling your expensive gas away while you wait .. . and wait and wait.
Here's a way to avoid traffic as you approach the stadium. Try to avoid the Ellis Street exit when you're coming into New Britain on either Route 9 South or Route 72 East. You can also get caught up in a snarl if you're coming up from the Middletown area or points south on Route 9 North.
The alternative is to get to know New Britain. If you're coming from the west -- Southington, Bristol, Farmington and beyond -- you can get off Route 72 East at the Corbin Avenue exit, cruise past Martha Hart Park, continue straight onto the highway spur that leads to 9 South and exit on South Main Street. You'll find yourself at the entrance to Willow Brook Park in much better shape.
Here's another little hint with the thunderstorm season in full swing. Most of the reserved tickets in sections 206, 207, 208, 209, 210 and 211 will afford you protection from the rain and the blistering sun during day games. For my money, they also give you a nice view over the top of the field box seats, but that's a matter of opinion.
With that in mind, the following is a primer for those who intend to attend ballgames at New Britain Stadium through the remainder of the 2007 and into the foreseeable future.
The Rock Cats' group ticket sales people do a tremendous job. Their work is the primary reason why the team's attendance skyrocketed when the Bill Dowling/Coleman Levy ownership group and pushes forward every year.
Groups naturally prefer to attend games on weekends, primarily Friday and Saturday nights, so what the team refers to as its pregame sale can climb within a few hundred of capacity, which is 6,146. Tickets for such games truly are at a premium.
The team makes is very easy to purchase tickets. There are the traditional ways, like stopping at Willow Brook Park and making the advance purchase at the ticket windows, or calling and ordering over the phone. But anybody who can handle a keyboard can purchase tickets online, too.
Whatever your preference, you have to think ahead. Rock Cats pocket schedules can be found all over central Connecticut and beyond. The schedule is also on www.rockcats.com. Scrutinize a schedule and make your plans for the summer because the days of leaving home at 5:30 p.m. for a 6:30 game and expecting everything to flow nicely are over.
On the day of the game, leave home early. Gates open an hour before game time, so if you're looking at a 6:35 start, plan on arriving at Willow Brook by 5:45 or so.
The reasons are traffic and parking. On nights when games are sellouts or near sellouts, cars can be seen stuck in a line that extends up South Main Street and onto Ellis Street.
When the line of vehicles enters the parking lot, the flow bottlenecks near the west side of the stadium where parking fees are paid. The money exchange process is somewhat less than fluid. Avoid coming late at all costs or you'll be listening to the first few innings on the radio and idling your expensive gas away while you wait .. . and wait and wait.
Here's a way to avoid traffic as you approach the stadium. Try to avoid the Ellis Street exit when you're coming into New Britain on either Route 9 South or Route 72 East. You can also get caught up in a snarl if you're coming up from the Middletown area or points south on Route 9 North.
The alternative is to get to know New Britain. If you're coming from the west -- Southington, Bristol, Farmington and beyond -- you can get off Route 72 East at the Corbin Avenue exit, cruise past Martha Hart Park, continue straight onto the highway spur that leads to 9 South and exit on South Main Street. You'll find yourself at the entrance to Willow Brook Park in much better shape.
Here's another little hint with the thunderstorm season in full swing. Most of the reserved tickets in sections 206, 207, 208, 209, 210 and 211 will afford you protection from the rain and the blistering sun during day games. For my money, they also give you a nice view over the top of the field box seats, but that's a matter of opinion.
posted by Ken Lipshez at
4:14 PM
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