For 10 days each summer, Aberdeen becomes the pinnacle for young baseball players, and local businesses reap the benefits.
The Cal Ripken World Series, which brings 2,000 to 3,000 visitors to Aberdeen every day from Aug. 10-19, has consistently kept local hotels booked and restaurants full at meal time, Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce President Gary Barnoff said.
“I believe all their hotels are booked and have been for some time,” Barnoff said. “In Havre de Grace, folks are making their way out there because everybody wants to get to the water.”
MacGregor?s manager Dan Lee said his family?s history with the Ripkens ? his father played baseball with Cal Sr. and has donated a statue to the ballpark ? has helped bring baseball-related business to the Havre de Grace restaurant.
Members of a team from South Korea are supposed to come later in the week, and Lee said he expects them all to order the prime rib, which is hard to come by in their home country.
While some local hotels do business most of the year with teams coming to Ripken Stadium, the World Series brings a big boost.
“We generally have four or five teams every weekend, but this brings us business during the week,” said Tammy Lowrey, general manager of the Holiday Inn in Aberdeen.
The Holiday Inn also is housing camera crews this year, which almost guarantees about 53 rooms will be booked for the whole week, Lowrey said.
Local families hosting players from other countries have been a boon for Bomboy?s Home Made Candy and Ice Cream in Havre de Grace, where owner Barry Bomboy said he recognizes the players and host families by their cars painted with messages of support for the kids? teams.
“They?ll come over to show off the town and bring the kids by for ice cream and candy,” Bomboy said. “Sunday was quite busy; we had at least 50 of them in.”
Bel Air resident Michelle McKenna, who?s hosting three players from Korea, said her wards have enjoyed eating and shopping, along with the baseball.
“We went to Dick?s Sporting Goods, that was the big thing they wanted to do,” McKenna said.
Tuesday evening, she planned to take them out for ice cream in Bel Air, then to White Marsh Wednesday so they can pick out souvenirs to take home.
“This has a great impact on the local economy,” said Jim Richardson, head of the Harford County Office of Economic Development. “This puts Ripken as truly the center of youth baseball in the U.S. and, possibly, the world.”
