I am a passionate Vikings fan but also very passionate about Minnesota teams whether they win or lose. I guess what sets the Vikings apart is because of the access I have to them when it comes to Training Camp only 40 miles from my house. If the Twins camp was that close it would be awesome.
I made my first trip to Twinfest in 2012 and loved it so much I made another trip on Saturday January 26th with my youngest daughter.
I am writing in hopes after you read this you too may make a trip either Sunday the 27th which is the last day or make plans or next year.
The cost is 15.00 for adults and 8.00 for kids under 14. If you are a baseball fan this is the place and worth every cent I paid today.
We took the light frail from the Mall of America and arrived at the dome in about a half hour after the stops on the way.
We walk in and right away fans are given a bag of coupons and other miscellaneous items including a booklet all about Twinsfest and everything it has to offer such as autograph times and also has a floor plan laid out to where everything is located.
What a sight as you walk down the steps of the dome and look over the sight of everything. A picture is worth a 1000 words well in this case definitely true.
The nice thing is we leave our coats in the seats trusting they will be there when we get back. It is too hot to wear your winter coats around on the field. I see plenty of people setting up camp and leaving their coats as well.
We were walking down to the field when we noticed 1500 radio station had a stage set up and who was there doing an interview none other than Twins manager Ron Gardenhire. You could sit where you want and just listen to what he had to say.
The lay out on the field is such as all on the outside you have food vendors, and plenty of booth set up for fans to find out more about the Twins. There is season ticket booth set up. There is also a fair amount of booths where you can spin a wheel in hopes of winning a prize. My daughter and I each won a light rail pass.
There is a booth set up where a player comes for kids question and answer session. There are plenty of things to do for kids. They have a few blow ups where the kids can jump in them. There are places set up for kids to go into a batting cage and hit whiffle balls that workers pitch to them. Kids can pitch as well.
It really is a great set up for kids of younger ages to have some fun with the hitting and pitching.
In the middle of the dome field is a large selection of vendors set up memorabilia. The amount of 8x10 autographed or non-autographed is a sight you have to see to believe. The baseball card sellers are great for the avid baseball collector. This is Twinsfest so you would think baseball items only but wrong every sport is involved with all the selling.
There is face painting set up for kids along with a guy who makes animals out of balloons.
Autograph zones are set up with players and coaches from past and present. There is a cost so before you get in line make sure you find out what the cost is.
TC Bear was walking around and greeting kids and adults as well.
I also found around the corner a table of past baseball greats and to get their autograph is a cost as well. I just stand back and take pictures of the guys. Today’s table had Rollie Fingers, Jim Mudcat Grant, Jim Perry and Ferguson Jenkins.
There is also a baseball Hall of Fame exhibit set up which is my thrill of the day. I found in a case the ticket stub from Cal Ripken’s 2131st game which broke Lou Gehrig’s record.
The autographed baseball by Jack Morris from Game 7 in the 1991 World Series is on display. The hat Scott Erickson wore when he no hit the Milwaukee Brewers on April 27th, 1994.
The shoes Paul Molitor wore when he got his 3000 hit are on display. The hat Ozzie Smith wore in the 1987 World Series is also in a case.
Paul Molitor’s plaque that was brought back from Cooperstown is on display and an awesome chance to take a picture of. This is baseball history at its finest.
The baseball Oakland A’s slugger Dave Kingman hit into the Metrodome roof and did not come down as he was given a ground rule double back on May 4,1984. I was at that game by luck and remember people struggling looking where it landed only to find out it was stuck in a hole.
As you can see there is a ton of history to see and memories you can make either by yourself or with family.
I recommend this on a scale of 1-10 a 10plus.
We even got a surprise as we were about to leave when we found out 4 Twins star players were coming to the 1500 radio stage. We got to see Mike Pelfrey, Justin Morneau, Josh Willingham and Glen Perkins. It was a photographers dream to get shots of these stars.
My daughter is 10 and lasted over 3 hours without complaining which tells me this event is just this much better when she says she wants to come again next year.
That all for now
Go Twins in 2013
Thanks for reading
Purplestick
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