It looks like “Re-Opening Day” will stay closed for just a little while longer.
Rains washed out Cincinnati’s plans to stage a new “Opening Day” for the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday. With Ohio’s coronavirus restrictions lifted and full capacity restored at Great American Ball Park, community leaders had planned a June 2 do-over for the citywide “holiday” that typically celebrates the new baseball season. The plan had included discounted game tickets, a live game broadcast in Fountain Square and nearby buildings lit up in the team’s signature red.
But Wednesday’s rain put a damper on the celebration. The Reds announced Wednesday morning that the game against the Philadelphia Phillies has been rescheduled for June 28. Tickets for today’s game will be honored on that date, the Reds tweeted. Read the Reds’ rainout policies.
Officials have not yet said if “Re-Opening Day” festivities would be rescheduled.
The National Weather Service in Wilmington, Ohio, predicts rain through Thursday for Cincinnati and Dayton, with severe storms and gusty winds possible. The temperature will remain in the 60s.
Opening Day typically is a day of celebration, with a parade, a block party and general merriment throughout the Cincinnati. But celebratory activities largely were canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. When the Reds took the field on April 1 this year, Hamilton County had 166 new cases of COVID-19, and the seven-day average of cases was approximately 13 per 100,000 — a “very high risk,” the New York Times said then.
Read about Cincinnati’s original “Re-Opening Day” plans.
This article appears in Jun 1 – Jul 6, 2021.