Discovering Maine's Rocky Coast With Kids: Take Me Out To The Ball Game

Discovering Maine's Rocky Coast With Kids: Take Me Out To The Ball Game
By Maine Author Jennifer Ellen Parker
004-Batter Up!  Buoy Bat team takes a road trip to Portland, ME.

One of our favorite trips of the Summer is to jump into the car and head up the coast to Portland to take in a Seadogs game at Hadlock Field.  Last night we had the pleasure of taking three of our friends to their very first game.  We piled into the car just after dinner and made our way up 95 North.   My friend asked me if I was good taking the five kids on my own and I smiled and answered, “of course.”   We’ve spent the first half of the Summer exploring the nooks and crags of the rocky shores of Maine, combing the beaches for starfish, clam shells, periwinkles, and sand dollars.  Last night,  we traded in our boogie boards and shovels for pretzels, popcorn, and Seadog Biscuits.

We pulled into a space across the street from the field and tied our sweatshirts around our waists.  The crowds were filing past us and lining up to enter the stadium.  We paused for a quick photo op with Slugger and then made our way into the food court.  The kids whirled with excitement as they were greeted by the sweet salty smells of concession and their ears filled with the sound of the announcer’s voice.  They skipped to the last set of stairs on the left side of the stadium and made their way up the short flight of stairs and out onto the seating deck.  They started pointing out the familiar icons of Hadlock field, the giant LL Bean boot, the mini green wall, the Ford logo above the giant screen, and yes the inflatable tooth ready and armed for brushing.

As we got ourselves situated in section 114 – row K, I looked down the seats at the next generation getting ready to enjoy one of America’s greatest pastimes.  Their eyes were wide and their smiles twice as long as the distance from home plate to first base.  Somewhere during the fifth inning the first heavy drop fell on my shoulder.  I held my breath and waited for the next, and then waited to see when any of the kids would notice it had begun to rain on our parade.  The drops came slow and heavy as the skies filled with an enormous dark cloud.  The crowds began watching the skies more than the game and as the wind shook the inflatable tooth and made him appear as if he were dancing, the smiles turned into a bit of fret.  Lightning flashed in the sky behind Maine Medical and fans began to leave their seats and the game.  The kids turned to me.  They wanted to leave, well three out of the five did.  I looked to my left and saw blue skies coming in just as fast as the black ones had.  Their worry was soon replaced with awe as fans in the stands pointed to the sky and a full rainbow appeared over the luscious green baseball field.  The kids rose from their seats and filled with excitement and laughter, exclaimed that this had been the best night ever!

The game lasted three hours and the Seadogs won  7-0.  The kids experienced the full gamut of weather in New England at Hadlock Field.   The Rocky Coast of Maine not only offers some of the very best body surfing on the East Coast it also offers up one of our all time greatest games, baseball!