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Date: 3/5/2019
AGAWAM – On March 22, the Agawam Lions Club is teaming up with the Springfield Thunderbirds to host a hockey night for a good cause.
The Agawam Lions Club will be selling discounted tickets to the Thunderbirds game to help benefit their Vacation Vittles program, an initiative that seeks to provide lunches to schoolchildren during breaks and summer vacation from school.
Chris DiMauro, chairperson for the upcoming event, shared “This is our third annual Agawam Lions Hockey Night with the Springfield Thunderbirds. Every year, the Thunderbirds allow us an evening where we get to fundraise. Every year, we choose a different project to work on. Last year, proceeds helped us build a playground. This year, we are fundraising for our Vacation Vittles program to benefit school children.”
The Agawam Lions Club will also be offering $3 exclusive Thunderbirds hats. DiMauro said, “I usually take a sleeve of hats and walk out to the crowd and sell them that way. Last year, I was surprised. I sold more hats than I ever would have thought.” To include a hat as part of the ticket sale, attendees are encouraged to either purchase their ticket online or contact the Thunderbirds Front Office. DiMauro shared that hats will also be sold in the crowd.
The night will include $3 draft beers, $2 hot dogs and $1 sodas. Food vouchers are also available for purchase through the website or by contacting the Thunderbirds Front Office. The food voucher includes one hot dog and one soda for $2.
Guests are also welcome to participate in the Chuck-A-Puck event. The popular event occurs at the end of the game. Attendees can purchase pucks during the game to throw through a Teddy Bear Pools banner. The banner has an opening on the nose of the teddy bear logo. If a guest is able to accurately throw a puck through the nose, they win a prize. The Agawam Lions will receive half of the proceeds for Chuck-A-Puck purchases made the night of the event. DiMauro shared “This will be my seven-year-old daughter’s second year working at the Chuck-A-Puck table. She loves working with the Thunderbirds.”
The Thunderbirds and Agawam Lions Club aren’t just important to DiMauro’s daughter, but to him as well. “I’ve chaired this event since its inception with the Agawam Lions Club and the Thunderbirds. I’m a season ticket holder, my whole family is. I love rooting for not only the team, but my town. The Lions Club is the same thing. I’m rooting for my town and I get to do something about it. Volunteering for the Lions and mixing the Lions with hockey night is like getting to root for my town.” DiMauro said.
For 2019, King Ward Coach Lines has donated a bus for the new Lion Line. The Lion Line will leave from Agawam High School at 2:45 p.m. the day of the event and go straight to MGM Springfield. At MGM, Lion Line bus riders will be given a credit for free play and food. For attendees of the Thunderbirds game age 21 and over, a seat can be reserved. “You don’t have to worry about traffic or parking this way. This is open to anybody,” DiMauro said. In order to reserve a seat on the Lion Line, attendees must contact a member of the Agawam Lions Club.
DiMauro said he feels the Thunderbirds game is a great event for local families. “It’s a really great opportunity for someone that’s been hearing how fun the Thunderbirds are. We feel like it’s a real night out for a family to come out and have some fun. It’s value all the way through,” DiMauro said.
DiMauro continued, “Every year, we try to break our record. Come help us break our record and cheer with us.”
Those interested in attending the game have three options to purchase tickets. Tickets can be purchased online at springfieldthunderbirds.formstack.com/forms/agawamlions, by calling Matthew McRobbie of the Thunderbirds Front Office at 417-2290 or directly from a member of the Agawam Lions Club. DiMauro said, “When guests buy their ticket through the Lions Club, Thunderbirds Front Office or the website, we get credit for it. Those are the three ways to participate in the fundraiser. If they go through the Box Office, it won’t count toward the fundraiser. The Thunderbirds are generously donating back to the Agawam Lions Club for the purchase. A good portion of the ticket will go back to Agawam to feed hungry school children.”