Excitement is building at Dunkin’ Park as the Hartford Yard Goats prepare for opening day on Tuesday.
Gates open at 6 p.m. and the first pitch is at 7:10 p.m.
Hartford Yard Goats president Tim Restall said fans can expect new offerings this season.
“New food items, which we’re unveiling today, we have a new beer which is from Thomas Hooker Brewery, Los Chivos Lager,” Restall said last week. “Some new experiences with regards to some hospitality areas, so we have a new seating area called the Bud Sky Deck. Fans are gonna have a great time coming back to downtown Hartford.”
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Some of the specialty foods you will find include bacon wrapped Munchkins, a Buffalo chicken cone, a souvenir helmet with soft serve ice cream, a two-foot long hot dog, the Cuban dog, a pizza taco, Bear Attack with pulled pork, spicy pickle fries, a Mac & Cheese cone, Apple Empanada, spicy pickle fry burger and the tortilla burger.
See photos and where you can find the ballpark specials here.
Find more on the food and snacks here.
Local
The Yard Goats have 69 home games on the calendar, and fans are excited to attend.
“We’ve been to a couple of games, it’s really nice, it’s good for the city. It’s a really nice view when you’re in the park, I like that, seeing the city from a different angle, and the food is good. It’s just a nice family atmosphere,” said Mary Lynch, of Southington. “Hope to get a couple games in this year!”
There will be some changes when arriving to Dunkin’ Park this year. The parking lot across from the stadium on Main Street is no longer a parking option with a new housing development under construction.
“The small lot across the street is under construction,” Restall explained, “but we’ve added three or four new lots here.”
Where to find $5 parking
In total, there are six $5 parking lot options in the immediate area. Five of those lots are within a two-block walking distance.
Restall recommends fans input the address to a parking lot in their GPS, not the address to Dunkin’ Park, to avoid confusion.
The following lots are $5 on game days:
- 300 Market St. (Easiest for Interstate 84 West and Interstate 91 North and South)
- 285 Church St. (Easiest for Interstate 84 East)
- 1000 Main St.
- 275 Windsor St.
- Mat Garage - 55 Chapel St. South
- Church Street Garage - 200 Church St.
“We’re very fortunate that we have a great fan base in the Hartford area, and whether the team wins or loses they come out and they support Dunkin’ Park, they support the Yard Goats, and they support Hartford,” Restall added.
Get more details on parking here.
Honoring fallen Hartford Police Det. Bobby Garten
The Hartford Yard Goats will honor Hartford Det. Bobby Garten during opening day.
Garten died in the line of duty in September when his cruiser was struck by a car fleeing a separate traffic stop. Garten’s partner, Brian Kearney, also suffered serious injuries.
The Garten and Kearney families will throw the ceremonial pitches and Bobby’s nephew, Liam, will sing the national anthem.
Garten's family has created the Detective Robert ‘Bobby’ Garten Memorial Fund. Through a partnership with the Yard Goats, the fund will award a scholarship to a student in the Greater Hartford area pursuing an education in law enforcement.
The Garten family hopes to fund a scholarship each year and help families of other fallen officers. More information can be found here.
