Play ball! Sounds of spring, summer arrive with Erie SeaWolves' first game at UPMC Park

You know spring has officially arrived when the Erie SeaWolves open their season at UPMC Park, which happens Tuesday. Usually, opening day is held in miserable weather, but this year it might be different when the SeaWolves take the field against the Altoona Curve at 6:05 p.m.

Al Swigonski recently sent a message to SeaWolves fans that he found at least 35 former Erie players who are now in the major leagues. It shows what a high-class brand of baseball is played at UPMC Park.

SeaWolves officials released a lengthy list of promotions for the new season, including 13 fireworks nights and numerous movie nights where kids and their parents can watch from the field. My favorite promotion is set for Aug. 4-5 when the SeaWolves change identities and take the field as the Erie Pepperoni Balls. Can’t wait to see those uniforms.

Hat's off to the club’s marketing team for conjuring up so many special events.

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● The Polish Falcons Club, Nest 610, will host its 27th annual Dyngus Day Monday at 3 p.m. The club, located at 431 E. Third St., draws large crowds every year for this “day after Easter” event that recalls the Polish tradition when women chase after potential husbands, swatting them with pussy willows and spraying them with water.

Dyngus Day celebrations in Cleveland and Buffalo draw crowds in the thousands.

D.J. Ken Olowin will spin records from 3 to 6 p.m., followed by a performance by the Mar-Vels from 6 to 9 p.m.

● Ed Kissell and the volunteers who have been working hard to remake Fred Biletnikoff Field into a first-rate facility are about to see their efforts pay off. About $6 million will be invested in the field, which is located behind Erie High School, for lights, bleachers and a much-improved field and track, among other improvements.

More: Major upgrades to Biletnikoff Field in Erie School Board's plans

Fred Biletnikoff, the Pro Football Hall of Famer who played at the school when it was known as Tech Memorial, is scheduled to come to Erie May 24. He will autograph items for a fee at Bullfrog Bar and all the money will be donated to the Biletnikoff Field Restoration Project.

● Watching UConn clinch the NCAA men’s basketball championship brought back warm memories for Ron Sertz, who directed the McDonald’s Classic in Erie for 25 years. Dan Hurley, head coach of UConn, played in Erie in 1989 as a member of the famous New Jersey St. Anthony’s team that won the Erie tournament.

Dan Hurley, an underclassman, didn’t see much action in that memorable tournament, but his brother, Bobby Hurley, who now coaches Arizona State, was the star. And their dad, Bob Hurley Sr., was St. Anthony’s head coach.

More: Connecticut completes historic NCAA Tournament run by routing San Diego State in title game

● One of the region’s largest art exhibits, the Jay and Mona Kang Art Show and Sale, returns live and in person Friday through April 17 at the Barber National Institute. The show features more than 440 works of art by adult and youth artists from three states.

The show includes paintings, sculptures, photos and works in fabric, paper, clay and other media. Many of the region’s best-known artists have entered works in the show. The doors open Friday at 10 a.m. and the exhibition will continue until 7:30 p.m. The hours on Saturday and Sunday will run from noon to 3 p.m.

Things to do: LIBCON Erie highlights fandoms, celebrates comic books, games, cosplay, more at libraries

● Sorry to see that Mary Anasti, one of Erie’s better-known citizens, died recently at the age of 103. Mary was the widow of local labor union leader Frank Anasti, who heard the call from Dick Agresti to help build Boys Baseball. The program’s headquarters building, which was recently razed, was named for Frank, as was the adjoining field.

● In an old film called “Baby Face,” starring Barbara Stanwyck, which recently ran on Turner Classic Movies, a town named Erie is mentioned. It was apparently Erie, Pa., and was featured in the opening scenes. The film, released in 1933, was considered highly risqué for its time and was banned in many communities. Seeing it today, it seems pretty tame.

● Many department stores across America have hit hard times in recent years, but Boscov’s, which has a popular store at the Millcreek Mall, is the exception. The company just announced that later this year it plans to open its 50th store, this one at the Meadowbrrok Mall in Bridgeport, West Virginia.

2018 profile: Boscov's sees bright future in Erie

● Mark Tanenbaum posted a fascinating photo on Facebook of his late father, Sam Tanenbaum, standing in front of a large chunk of the USS Wolverine. Sam bought the old ship from city leaders for scrap, but almost immediately they frantically returned and begged him to sell them back 10 feet of the bow.

Sam said he would do it for a one-pound box of Pulakos chocolates. “They agreed,” Mark Tanenbaum recalled. “Dad sold them 20 feet and they gave him two boxes of candy.”

Kevin Cuneo can be reached at kevin.cuneo1844@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie SeaWolves' home opener puts spring in motion in Erie PA