DAYTON — The Dayton Dragons will open up Day Air Ballpark to full capacity starting with their homestand beginning June 8. That’s when fans can expect to see a lot of changes at the ballpark compared to what was announced at the beginning of the season.
Masks will no longer be mandatory inside the stadium. If you are not vaccinated, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that you continue wearing a mask. The Dragons have also opened up more seating for the final homestand in May, blocking off fewer seats.
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Some COVID-19 safety measures will remain in place including touchless technology inside all restrooms, plexiglass at customer service areas, and cashless concessions. All 125 hand sanitizing stations will remain, and the Dragons will continue to adhere to special cleaning protocols for the facility and high-volume touch points.
The Dragons are not likely to keep the extra gates that they used for the first series of the season. There are some dividers for one way traffic on the concourses and accompanying signs that will no longer be used when June begins.
Dragons Executive Vice President Eric Deutsch said the team had always planned on reaching 100 percent capacity at some point this season and it is actually easier logistically to not have smaller incremental changes throughout the summer and instead be able to go to full capacity sooner.
“A lot of progress in a short time frame and it happened sooner than we thought. We’re very excited about June through the rest of this season,” Deutsch said.
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The Dragons also have opened up more seats for the May 25-May 30 home stand. With the move back to full capacity, group outings (that were not allowable due to the six-foot socially distant rule) are now possible and the Dragons are happy to start booking groups for the entire 2021 season.
All party decks and suites are now available for sale. Party decks and suites are being offered at half price for the remainder of the year.
“We wanted to do something for all of our ticket holders and great fans … and we thought this would be a great way of saying thank you to the best fans in the country for their support during the pandemic,” noted Team President Robert Murphy.
With the changes also comes the return of some entertainment that’s been such a staple of the Dragons home games.
“We had some COVID procedures with our Green Team and our mascots so come June you’ll see a little bit more of them out on the stadium side not so much on the field we’re still keeping the bubble for the players,” Deutsch said. “Yeah you’ll see the mascots roaming around, the Green Team and we’ll be gearing up entertainment.”
As the Dragons get ready to welcome back larger crowds there’s only one area that they’re still looking to get back to full staffing levels in one area.
“Our concessionaires are going to be gearing up to have a lot more people in the ballpark so I think they’re still looking for volunteer opportunities for non-profits to work concession stands as well as hourly employees looking for a seasonal job in a fun environment,” Deutsch said.
The Dragons are scheduled to play 54 more home games during the regular season. Game times are 7:05 p.m. for Tuesday through Saturday games and 2:05 p.m. on Sundays. No Monday games are scheduled at this time. Gates open one hour prior to game time.
Cox Media Group
