You're Invited to Tampa Bay Rays Street Party

Everyone's invited to celebrate with a street party and rally as the Tampa Bay Rays open baseball's regular season against Baltimore on Tuesday, April 2. The party will be held in front of Ferg's, 1320 Central Ave., from noon to 3 p.m.

Fans on their way to the game can get pumped with live country-rock music from the Troy Duncan Band or Top 40 hits from Sunburn, along with beads, giveaways, kids' games, and sports merchandise for sale. Mayor Bill Foster and Petey, St. Petersburg's First Puppy, will make special appearances, along with Miss St. Petersburg and other local titleholders and sports radio personalities who will broadcast live from the event. Even if you can't make the game, join in
the Opening Day celebration with a visit over the lunch hour for ballpark-style food, cold drinks and fun. For more information, visit www.stpete.org.

Due to the street party, Central Ave. from 13th to 15th Sts. will be closed to
traffic from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Fans may mark Opening Day 2013 by watching the game from District K-9,' a
special seating area located in sections 132 and 134, in honor of 2012
American League Cy Young Award Winner David Price. Along with their $50
ticket, fans receive a commemorative T-shirt and K'-card. In the event Price
does not pitch Tuesday's home opener, tickets will be honored and fans will
receive the commemorative items. For information or to purchase tickets, visit
www.raysbaseball.com/districtk9.

Tickets are still available for Tuesday's home opener, which is the first of
two back-to-back, three-game home stands and the ninth time the Rays have
kicked off the MLB season at Tropicana Field. The Rays follow Tuesday's opener
with games Wednesday and Thursday against Baltimore at 7:10 p.m. and 3:10 p.m. 

On Friday, the Rays welcome the Cleveland Indians to the Trop for three
straight starting at 7:10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 1:40 p.m. on Sunday,
March 7. Purchase tickets for either of the Baltimore and Cleveland home
stands at www.raysbaseball.com, 1-888-FAN-RAYS or at Tropicana Field.  For a
schedule of upcoming games, visit
www.stpete.org/stpetelovestherays/gameinformation.asp.

Fans attending every Rays home game, including the April 2 home opener, are
encouraged to allow enough time to reach the stadium and locate parking so
they don't miss any of the action. City officials have these suggestions to
ensure a pleasant game day experience.

Get There Early:  Baseball fans will find more than enough parking for Rays
games at Tropicana Field, on surface lots within a half-mile walk of the
stadium, and downtown via the free baseball shuttle. On Tuesday, fans are
encouraged to arrive early, locate parking downtown, ride the free baseball
shuttle to the Trop and attend the Opening Day street party a short walk from
the stadium on Central Ave. On home game days, baseball fans are invited to
avoid congestion around Tropicana Field by parking downtown and visiting St.
Petersburg's bustling retail and dining district before riding the free
baseball shuttle to the stadium.

Downtown parking is available in the SouthCore garage, located at 100 First
Ave. S., with entrance between First Ave. S. and Second St., or the MidCore/BayWalk garage, accessible from Second St. N., between First and
Second Aves. N.

With service approximately every five minutes, Opening Day shuttles begin
running at 1:10 p.m., ending service one hour following the game. Starting
Wednesday, April 3, and for the remainder of the 2013 Rays season at the Trop,
free baseball shuttles begin running 90 minutes prior to each game, ending
service one hour after the final inning or scheduled post-game concert.
Regular season shuttles run approximately every 10-15 minutes.

Shuttle stops are located on Second St. between Central Ave. and First Ave. S.
under the pedestrian bridge, just a short walk from the MidCore/BayWalk
parking garage on Opening Day, with the second stop located outside Tropicana
Field on 16th St. just south of Third Ave. S. Shuttles with disability
accommodations, including vehicles with wheelchair lifts, will be utilized at
every game.  Additional information, including a route map, can be found at
www.stpetetrolley.com/Events.html.

On-site Parking: Go green and save some green when you carpool. The first 100
vehicles (no limit on Sunday games) with four or more fans can park free in
Tropicana Field's main parking lots up to an hour prior to the start of all
Rays home games. On Sundays, vehicles with four or more passengers may park free in Lots 2, 6, 7, 8 and 9. Have fewer than four in your vehicle? Then
expect to pay $15-$30 per vehicle to park in the stadium's main lots.  Rays
season ticketholders can receive information about purchasing discounted
and/or reserved parking at 1-888-FAN-RAYS. For more information about on-site parking, please visit http://tampabay.rays.mlb.com/tb/ballpark/parking_directions.jsp.

Parking Around Tropicana Field: There are 74 licensed surface parking areas
around the ballpark, which make parking a breeze during heavily attended
games. These lots are clearly marked with signage featuring a capital "P," lot
number, and city ordinance information,   (see example), and are staffed by a
uniformed attendant. These are the only approved parking areas for event
attendees parking outside of Tropicana Field, but still within the half-mile
radius.  The designated signage, along with additional baseball parking
information may be viewed at www.stpete.org/baseballparking.

Beware of Where You Park:  Fans should park only in approved lots (marked with a blue "P" and posted lot number), either on-site Tropicana Field lots, in one of the 74 approved parking areas around the stadium, or in one of the downtown waterfront parking facilities. Fans are cautioned against parking in
unlicensed, unattended or vacant lots as vehicles may be towed or ticketed.
Do not park in a lot unless you are sure it is legitimate (marked with a blue
"P" and posted lot number, see example). Legitimate parking attendants should
be in uniform and will provide a receipt/ticket upon payment. If the lot or
the attendant/cashier does not look legitimate or cannot provide a receipt,
fans are advised to find an alternate parking location.

Use Alternate Travel Routes:  Traffic officials suggest fans consider using
these alternate routes to avoid potential issues during high traffic periods,
such as within an hour and a half of the first pitch for sellout or near sellout games:  Fourth St. from the north or 16th St. and Fifth Ave. S. from
the south.  Southbound I-275 traffic may exit early at 54th, 38th, or 22nd
Avenues N., travel east to 4th St., and approach the ballpark from the east.
Northbound traffic on I-275 can exit early on 31st St. to 5th Ave. S. and
approach from the west side of the ballpark to avoid traffic tie-ups.

Special thanks to the City of St. Petersburg for sharing this press release with St. Pete Patch.