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Induction Weekend - Beaver Valley
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LODGING available for 2008:
All of our 1 and 2 bedroom Log Cabin Trailers are booked. We have regular
campsites and our ever-popular overflow areas available.
We are accepting names for a wait-list for our rental units. Please call
if you'd like to be placed on the wait-list. |
| SHUTTLE BUS: We run a shuttle to and from
the Induction ceremony. Free of charge. |
| DEPOSITS & REFUNDS: We require the
payment in full in advance and we do not give refunds on Induction Weekend for any reason
what-so-ever. (We open up to overflow and are never full.) |
| FACILITIES & AMENITIES: Everyone
staying with us is welcome to use all of our facilities including the pools and shuttle
bus. |
| PETS: We prefer that you do not bring your
pets on Induction Weekend. They cannot be left unattended at the site unless they
are in a crate or inside a camper. You'll probably be spending most of your time in
Cooperstown. |
INDUCTION WEEKEND
July 25-27, 2008
Induction Ceremony - Sunday, July 27, 2008 1:30 PM
“Is There Something Going On This Weekend?”
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| Induction Weekend is a festive, energized extravaganza. You can
feel the electricity in the air as passionate baseball fans, and innumerable baseball
“fan-atics” bustle about our streets. Autograph sessions, Hall of Famer
sightings, and memorabilia vendors abound. For some visitors, there can be no
better time to visit Cooperstown; but for other visitors, this may be a weekend to avoid.
We’ve had as many as 70,000 people descend upon our village of 2,200.
Don’t be caught in the crowds unless you want to be. First and foremost, if you
are coming to Cooperstown find out when Induction weekend is being held. It can
change from year to year so if you just show up without knowing, it may take you by
surprise. In 2003, the Hall of Fame split Induction Weekend from the Hall of Fame
Game. We are hoping that this will mean the Induction will fall on the same weekend
every year--making it much easier for everyone to plan ahead. It is a good idea to
contact the Hall of Fame as early as you can to confirm the dates. (607) 547-7200.
Website: www.BaseballHallofFame.org |
| Make accommodations reservations early.
Reservation policies vary. Some take reservations several years in advance, others
don’t start taking reservations until the April prior. Be sure to find out the
facility’s refund policy and its “bump policy.” Not to cause a
panic, but I have known of people who have paid for their rooms a year in advance only to
receive a refund check and a cancellation notice in the mail less than a month before the
weekend. If you can't find anything in Cooperstown, try looking for lodging in the
Herkimer and Cobleskill areas. Oneonta hosts Soccer and Baseball tournaments
throughout the summer and rooms are pretty hard to come by. Herkimer and Cobleskill
are about a 45 min drive.
Beaver Valley always has overflow camping! It's close and it's cheap! |
| Parking is always an issue in the village. The trolleys will be
running as usual. Although we lose parking spaces because the Doubleday Field
parking lot is closed to vehicles, many village families offer parking on their lawns from
$5 to $20 per day. There are yellow school buses that can transport you at no
charge from outlying parking areas to the Clark Sports Center and from the Clark Sports
Center to Doubleday Field. One parking area is on River Road just south of the village. To
get to River Road avoiding the downtown traffic, you can follow Route 166 East from State
Route 28 in Milford (south of Cooperstown) and then turn left onto River Road. Do your
best to avoid driving through Main St. as the crowds spill from the sidewalks and into the
street. Also, pay attention to temporary traffic signs as some streets may be designated
one way. Surprisingly, the traffic clears out rapidly very soon after the ceremonies
have ended. |
| It is approximately a one mile walk to the Clark Sports Center from the
parking area and then another mile form the Sports Center to the village, so walking is a
possibility. Young entrepreneurs set up lemonade stands along the way so be sure to bring
a thirst and ample pocket change! If you bike, be particularly wary of the
automobile traffic on the roads coming into the village. I would not advise biking in with
children on this weekend; extreme caution should be used on State Route 28. There
are no bike racks on Main St. It may be easier to lock your bike at the High School
bike rack and then walk into town. |
| While you are at the Ceremony, the Hall of Fame Game, or milling around
Doubleday Field Parking Lot, be sure to purchase refreshments. The Cooperstown High
School takes advantage of the weekend as a fund-raiser and they are the sole vendor.
The students wear t-shirts with “Concession Staff” printed on the
back. If you are eyeing these shirts as a souvenir, please note that the kids will
sell them to you but they are not allowed to do so until after the ceremonies! |
| When attending the Hall of Fame Induction ceremony at the Clark Sports
Center, be aware that there really is no shade. Even if the day is somewhat
overcast, you can bake out in the open. Bring water to drink so you don’t dehydrate
and wear sunblock. Arrive as early in the morning as possible and “stake out
your claim” on the lawn. Bring a blanket or chairs as none are provided.
Animals are not allowed on the grounds. You may also want to bring something
to read and some materials to keep the kids happy while you wait for the program to begin.
Whatever you bring, though, you will be lugging with you onto those yellow buses. |
| The Inductees stay at the Otesaga Resort under tight security. Many
golf at the Leatherstocking Golf Course which abuts the resort. Saturday night at 9
PM the Hall of Famers arrive at the Hall of Fame and can be seen entering. |
| Souvenirs are plentiful and can range in price from a couple of dollars
to several hundreds. More affordable though still valuable souvenirs include:
Hall of Fame Induction Day cancellations at the Cooperstown Post Office,
commemorative pins, ticket stubs from the Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame Game tickets,
Concession Staff t-shirts. |
Non-Baseball Special Events
Friday, the Richfield Springs Fireman’s Carnival begins and runs through
Sunday. Friday night The Farmers’s Museum hosts a barbecue and fiddle show and
the opera starts at 8. Saturday, carnival all day and opera at 8. Sunday, Hyde
Hall holds its annual picnic and pops concert, the opera starts at 2 and the carnival
wraps up.
If you're staying with us and you don't want to attend the ceremony, you can always
hang out by the pool or spend the day fishing. |
| Plan on lines, wall-to-wall people and more lines. If everyone
brings a sense of humor, an ample supply of patience, courtesy and a smile, we’ll all
have a glorious weekend. |
Hall of Fame Game 2008
Doubleday Field, Cooperstown
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The 2008 date and ticket information has not been
announced as yet.
From the Hall of Fame website:
"As the only in-season exhibition between major league teams, the Hall of Fame Game
is special. Sheduling for major league clubs and travel arrangements do not allow for the
Game date to be known years in advance, but we will make public the dates as soon as
possible, usually 5-6 months in advance. Consider subscribing to our free email newsletter to be
alerted of details about the Hall of Fame Game and other news from Cooperstown."
Below is 2007 Information and may not be accurate for 2008.
The Hall of Fame Game will begin at 2 p.m., with pre-game festivities
starting at 12 noon with the Hall of Fame Game Day Parade on Main Street and the
always-popular Home Run Derby at 1 p.m. at Doubleday Field.
Game Tickets: Tickets are limited to six per customer,
and will be available for purchase beginning February 17. Prices are $12.50 for first and
third base reserved seats, while outfield reserved seats are $11.00. Tickets can be
purchased at the Hall of Fame, over the Internet and by telephone.
On-Site Ticket Sale: Approximately 1,500 tickets will first be
available through a one-day, over-the-counter ticket sale at the Museum on Feb. 17,
beginning at 10 a.m. All visitors purchasing tickets to the Hall of Fame Game during the
first-day sale will be admitted FREE to the Museum on February 17. Patrons for the
first-day ticket sale will not be allowed to line-up outdoors overnight. The Museum will
open at 9 a.m. on February 17, at which time patrons will be allowed into the Museum.
Patrons must hold their place in line.
General Purchase: Should any tickets remain following the one-day sale
on Feb. 17 and the member sale, the general public will have the opportunity to purchase
up to six tickets beginning February 26 at 9 a.m., until ticket quantities are exhausted.
Tickets will be available for general public purchase in two ways: at the Museum's on-line
store at baseballhalloffame.org, or by calling the Museum's mail-order department at
888-HALL-OF-FAME, option 2, from Monday-Saturday, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., EST
Check the Hall of Fame web site for
updates. On Game Day, if you arrive in the village without tickets, ask around the
local businesses and at your hotel to see if anyone knows of any that may be available.
We keep a list in the campground office of people looking to sell tickets and
people looking to buy.
Scalping, of course, is illegal. |
| Disclaimer: I am offering this information to help
you maneuver through the weekend a little easier. Please check the accuracy of what
I've written by contacting the Hall of Fame
directly. Things can change quickly! |
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