On Wednesday afternoon, the City of Chicago and National City Bank's "Play Ball, Chicago!" event overtook Daley Plaza. A giant inflatable baseball stood at one end of the downtown square; at the other end, the Picasso statue sported an oversize baseball cap bearing both the Cubs and White Sox logos. ("That's one politically correct hat," a gawking guest remarked.) Taking place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the event saw suited office workers hurling balls into inflatable batting cages, families lunching on Polish sausages and funnel cakes, and kids chanting "root, root, root for the Cubbies" during a "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" karaoke contest.
Now in its second year, the promotion "is just a feel-good event," said Jen Kramer, director of sports development at the Mayor's Office of Special Events. "We created it last year. National City Bank wanted to host a baseball event, and we wanted to expand our calendar of springtime events, so it was a perfect time to collaborate on something. And the [public] response has been tremendous."
Kramer said she and her planning team followed last year's format, but added more "interactive, experiential elements." Among the new offerings: a game of White Sox trivia, with team announcer Ed Farmer as M.C., that allowed guests to compete for a chance to win game tickets. In a photo booth, visitors posed in front of a green screen, then took home pictures of themselves standing beside famous baseball players. Another attraction let guests film their own music videos to songs such as "Sweet Home Chicago" and leave with free keepsake DVDs of their performances.
Although the outdoor happening left planners "at the whim of the weather," Kramer said, no rain plan was necessary. "Sports fans are a hearty bunch. This is not a fair-weather crowd. They'll come out to celebrate their team no matter what." Though it's nearly impossible to get an exact head count, the mayor's office estimated that yesterday's happening drew between 5,000 and 6,000 guests.
