Annual event will feature a new format this year and that will give fans of the team a chance to become better acquainted with the new players

by Ray Hamill

ARCATA (May 25, 2010) — The annual Crabs season-opening dinner will feature a new format this year and that will give fans of the team a chance to become better acquainted with the new players.

Instead of bringing in a guest speaker for the occasion, as the club has done in previous years, this year's event will focus more on the incoming players.

"We want to make it more of a celebration of the team," said Crabs president Matt Filar. "We want to spend more time on (manager) Matt Nutter introducing the team and spend a little more time on each team member."

The dinner, which is held in partnership with the City of Arcata on the night before the season-opener, is scheduled for Friday, June 4 at the Arcata Community Center.

Tickets are already on sale and can be purchased at the video counter at all Ray's Food Place locations, and at the Arcata City Hall. You can also download a ticket order form here and mail it back to us.

And fans are encouraged to buy early with prices set at $20 for adults and $15 for those 12-and-under up until the end of May. Tickets will remain available up until the day before the dinner, although prices will jump to $25 and $20, respectively, on Friday, May 28.

"It's a great chance for fans to get excited about the season," Filar said. "People have been waiting all this time for the season to start. The Giants are playing, the A's are playing and we're just waiting for the Crabs to begin play. It's a good way to kick off the season when you can get everybody together to meet the new team."

All funds raised from the dinner go annually to ballpark improvements. "Last year, we bought some new equipment for the media booth, some new speakers and the breakaway fencing (in left field)," said Filar, who added that with the generous assistance of the City of Arcata, this year a walkway will be constructed to allow easy access for fans to enter the left field area. “We are grateful to the City for stepping in to help get this done,” said Filar. “We have our fingers crossed that it will be completed by Opening Day, but with weather conditions here the way they are, we will be cutting it close.”

And Filar isn't the only one looking forward to the occasion. "It's a great community event," said Nutter. "It's a good way for fans to come together and it gives the new guys on the team their first taste of what they're in for this summer."

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