asheville tourists

Baseball fans everywhere eagerly await news of whether Major League Baseball will start play in 2020.  Once MLB makes its mind up, then a decision on whether Minor League Baseball will play at all this year should soon follow.  North Carolina is home 11 minor league teams, including the Asheville Tourists of the South Atlantic League. For one couple, the absence of the Tourists during the pandemic hits close to home.

The Asheville Tourists baseball team is reportedly not at risk of losing its Major League Baseball affiliation.  That's according to a New York Times report which listed 42 minor league teams that MLB is looking at severing affiliations with as the league ponders a drastic reconstruction and contraction of the lower minor leagues following the 2020 season.  

For Spanish learners, the city of Asheville is plentiful with opportunities to improve their language skills.

For a group of Buncombe County Schools Early College students, that means visiting McCormick Field, where players from Venezuela and the Dominican Republic are holding class.

The Asheville Tourists started the season last week with 23 new players donning the navy jersey. Three of the new recruits, Daniel Motano, Javier Guevara, and Alfredo Garcia are from Venezuela, where political unrest has spiraled into a humanitarian crisis.  

The Asheville Tourists begin their season Thursday night at McCormick Field. Game number one pits the Tourists against the Augusta Green Jackets.  Being that it’s a Thursday night, opening night will also be a Thirsty Thursday, the Tourists popular promotion for every Thursday home game that features $1 beer and sodas.  

30 years ago Friday, the movie Bull Durham premiered.  The film merged baseball and romantic comedy, all while showcasing the state of North Carolina.  Filming locations in the state included Durham, Raleigh, Greensboro, Wilson, Old Fort, and Asheville.

“Good evening Asheville Hippies fans!  Welcome to McCormick Field!”               

That’s Asheville Tourist broadcast manager and radio announcer Doug Maurer, with a preview announcement of the upcoming game against  the Greenville Drive, and nope, that wasn’t a slip of the tongue. For one night, Thursday, June 29, the Asheville Tourists will be dubbed the Hippies, down to their tie dye uniforms. 

Mountain views, hiking trails an exploding food scene and more breweries per capita than anywhere else in U.S.   It’s easy to see why the Asheville area is spilling over with tourists and newcomers.   The boom is a boost for the economy but often makes for a busier and sometimes more challenging day for police and other first responders whose job it is to care for both tourists and the people who live  here.  WCQS’s Helen Chickering reports.

Crews fighting wildfires throughout western North Carolina reported progress in containing wildfires in Clay, Swain, and Macon Counties.  But the Party Rock fire near Lake Lure and Chimney Rock continues to grow, and authorities believe that will only increase later this week.