The sounds of the old ballpark filled the Congregational Church in Jacksonville Tuesday afternoon as the Jacksonville High School Madrigal Choir sang Take Me Out to the Ballgame to promote their addition to Jacksonville Night at Busch Stadium.
Shelly Singleton says for the last four years the surrounding Jacksonville area has purchased so many tickets for the annual event, they earned the right to throw out the first pitch.
However, due to COVID restrictions, the Cardinals are not allowing the public onto the playing field. Singleton says now, that’s where the JHS Choir will come in.
“The whole JHS choir is now going to perform at Busch Stadium during Jacksonville Night and we’re really excited about that. They are not letting folks go down onto the field because of COVID so we can’t do the first pitch, but the kids will be on the Jumbotron and be in a prominent area within the stadium to perform. So it’s going to be very exciting, and we are excited to give them that opportunity.”
The JHS Madrigal Choir was accompanied on the pipe organ by Scotty DeWolf who had been tapped to toss the ceremonial first pitch last year before the COVID pandemic forced a cancellation of the event. JHS Choir Director Jacob Smetters says the chance to perform at the start of the game is a great opportunity for the group.
“The kids have been very excited, they haven’t been able to do anything because of COVID. So now we are invited and have a great opportunity. We are going to invite all of the Madrigals from the past couple of years, along with this year’s kids and next year’s kids as well.”
Singleton says tickets for the Jacksonville Night at Busch Stadium will go on sale soon, possibly as early as next week.
“We don’t know what the capacity is going to be, they have not announced that just yet. We are hoping with things kind of opening up that it will be at one hundred percent. I’m hoping we will get our ticket assignments next week so be watching for that.
We know that we are going to have the right-field lower box and right-field box seats and now we know that the ticket prices will be forty dollars which is a really good price. We haven’t had that low of a price in a long time. Also because the game is on a Thursday night, we are getting a little bit better price, but it’s still Cards Cubs so you can’t beat that for a game.”
Proceeds from this year’s Jacksonville Night at Busch Stadium will go to the Jacksonville Tree Project. The JHS Madrigal performance video is being produced by Jacksonville photographer Steve Warmowski and will be released soon for viewing on the Jacksonville Night at Busch Facebook page.
For more information on the event, call Shelley Singleton at 214-558-1440 or by email at shelleyfsingleton@gmail.com