Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium is more than a baseball park. The games are more than baseball. “Minor league baseball brings the community together,” said General Manager, Andrew Klein. “It’s great for families. It creates memories.”
Games also provide diverse fun and generous funds for the community. Attending on a Jersey Night is both. On three nights this season, every Frederick Keys player, the coaches and sometimes even the mascot, will be wearing jerseys designed especially for a specific beneficiary. Those jerseys will never be worn on the field again.
During the game, up to thirty-five shirts are auctioned to the highest bidders. Bids can be placed online or in person. At the end of the game, if they are present, winners receive the shirts directly from the players. They can even have the shirts signed if they so desire.
Jersey Night recipients are chosen by The Keys leadership. For seventeen years, Art in the Park jerseys have been worn to benefit the Frederick Arts Council. Each time, the Frederick Arts Council selects an artist to design the shirt and the Keys manage the production. Adding to the theme of that game, each ballplayer adds an artistic touch to their individual baseball. Some are amazing, some are simple, but each artistic, player-designed baseball is also auctioned to benefit the Arts Council.
Intentionally, Jersey Nights and Fireworks Nights coincide. “Since Firework Nights are typically our best-attended games, we want to give each jersey auction the biggest opportunity to be seen and charities the greatest opportunity to generate auction proceeds,” Klein said.
According to Klein, a shirt auction can bring in as much as five thousand dollars for each featured non-profit. The non-profit also benefits from the night’s proceeds, as well as the proceeds from the Wheel of Fortune games.
This year, there will be two additional Jersey Nights at Nymeo Field. The Atlantic League team will host Jersey Nights for the Veterans Service Center and National Foundation for Cancer. (By June 23, the public will know the new name of the team, but Klein wouldn’t and couldn’t reveal the name at the time of this interview.)
Several events during the season, such as their Fun Run, raise funds for Frederick Keys Care. “Keys Care is our in-house non-profit that provides grant funds to benefit youth and youth sports,” Klein shared. “For example, one of our games is labeled Mystery Night. That night baseballs signed by current and past players are put into plain paper bags and auctioned. It’s a mystery whose ball you will win!”
Non-profits that are not beneficiaries of a Jersey Night or recipients of a Keys Care grant can still take advantage of a fundraising opportunity through a Pack the Park night. By purchasing game tickets at significant savings, the non-profit can Pack the Park and make a profit as they sell the tickets at full price.
“We pack a bus, too,” Klein said. “Over the last 2 years, we’ve had a community relationship with the Baltimore Orioles. On June 26, the Keys, the Orioles and United Way will host the opportunity to Stuff the Bus.”
The Keys and Nymeo Field provide a lot of youth-oriented activities beyond the visible Fun Zone next to the field. Any child, 12 and under, who registers on the Keys’ website for the Junior Keys Kids Club receives a special bag and free entry to a limited number of games. Children who attend the game in their Little League uniforms receive free admission when accompanied by a paying adult. The Frederick Keys also organize two three-day youth baseball camps each year.
Baseball in Frederick is bigger and better this year. Instead of the recently offered forty games in a season, Nymeo Field will host eighty-eight games in 2023. The field has been upgraded with a new playing surface to better handle the increased number of games. The need for less care is especially important since the field will get more use. The Atlantic League is frequently playing on the field when the Keys are not.
Eighty-eight games provide plentiful opportunities for family fun, making memories, building business relationships and benefitting the youth and community. Take me out to the ball game!
FrederickKeys.com
Both Frederick baseball teams will wear specialty jerseys throughout the season which will be auctioned off to benefit great causes.
June 17
The Keys will wear Mandalorian-themed jerseys to benefit Sophie and Madigan’s Playground.
July 22
The Atlantic League will wear jerseys to benefit the National Foundation for Cancer.
August 5
The Keys will wear special jerseys for Cancer Awareness Night to benefit the American Cancer Society.
August 19
The Atlantic League will wear jerseys to benefit the Veteran Services Center.
September 1
Special Art in the Park jerseys to benefit the Frederick Arts Council.
*Fans will also be able to bid on autographed baseballs designed by Keys coaches and players during each of these game days.
To apply for funds from the Frederick Keys Care fund, contact The Community Foundation of Frederick.
