BILL POTEAT
Opening Day for the Gastonia Honey Hunters at newly-named CaroMont Health Park will be Thursday, May 27.
Particulars of opening weekend for the Atlantic Professional Baseball League franchise and the naming of the premium club in the stadium were announced in a Thursday morning press conference at the ballpark.
What you need to know
Times: Gates will open at 5:30 p.m. for the first game of the season against the Lancaster (Pennsylvania) Barnstormers. Pregame ceremonies begin at 6 p.m. First pitch is scheduled for 6:50 p.m. Fireworks after the game, sponsored by GSM Services.
Cost: General admission seats are $7. Bullpen box $9. Dugout box $13. Homeplate box $15.
Gastonia s Franklin Urban and Sports Entertainment District, better known simply as FUSE, does not need to attract visitors from Charlotte to be successful, according to its master developer Brandon Bellamy.
Instead, the eventual combination of sports, dining, entertainment, and retail to be found at the new downtown stadium and its adjacent properties, can draw support from the more than 200,000 people who live within a 20-minute drive. Daytime, pedestrian traffic is one of the keys to success for this project, said Bellamy, owner of the Honey Hunters, the Atlantic Professional Baseball League team that will play 70 home games per season there.