Fielding the fans: Spokane Indians meet and greet community during Fan Fest

Apr. 5—It's a week before opening day at Avista Stadium and Spokane Indians fans were already filling the stands for the free community Fan Fest on Wednesday night.

Fans who entered the stadium gates were greeted by a row of the Indians' 2023 roster, clad in their white uniforms and armed with Sharpies. The Indians talked with the fans, young and old, as the latter shuffled through with their freshly autographed baseball caps, mitts and posters.

"We're the community's baseball team and we want to share the excitement of the season with as many people as possible," said Otto Klein, senior vice president of the team.

Fan Fest began more than 20 years ago as a season ticket-holder event only, but that changed about a decade ago.

"I like to see how many returning players there are," said Becky Holloway, while sitting in the seats before the Homerun Derby kicked off. "A lot of them have been picked up by other teams. It's good for them, but it's bad for the league."

Holloway, who has been playing softball for 47 years on a local recreational team, said she's been coming to Fan Fest for years.

"I just love it," she said. "It's just fun to see what up-and-coming talent we have."

There are 10 returning Spokane Indians on this year's team. More than half the roster are new players, Klein said.

Paula Krauza and Chris Haworth, in line at the concession stand, both said they started following the Spokane Indians last year after they moved to Spokane Valley from Chicago. As Cubs fans, they said the Spokane Indians games are much easier to attend.

"It's such an accessible park," Haworth said of Avista Stadium, "and the crowd is super fun."

"And it's affordable," Krauza said.

The two attended their first Indians game last summer.

Fan Fest gives fans a chance to meet and interact with the team personally, but it also gives the players a chance to meet people from the community.

"It's the first opportunity for these players to see how much this community supports them," Klein said. "I think they're going to be really impressed."

Last season's attendance at Avista started off slow — partly because of a rainy spring — but it picked up after the Fourth of July, Klein said.

"We ended the season last year on a real high note with attendance in the region, and we're hoping that carries through the start of the season," he said. "We have very high expectations this year to set another attendance record."

The Spokane Indians' opening game will be Tuesday against the Eugene Emeralds.