NILES, OH –The Mahoning Valley Scrappers (est. 1999) and Youngstown Air Reserve Station (est. 1955), home to the 910th Airlift Wing, have been pillars in the Mahoning Valley in Northeast Ohio for decades. Together, we’ve participated in ceremonies, flag salutes, fly overs, and more. With significant growth by both parties, the opportunity to rally the region even more has never been better.
Together, we are thrilled to announce the Mahoning Valley Scrappers Baseball Team is teaming with the 910th Airlift Wing for a Community Engagement Partnership campaign called “Operation Fly Together” beginning with the 2022 baseball season with the Warren Area Chamber of Commerce Education, Civic & Cultural Foundation as the primary sponsor.
With unique and creative marketing elements, this campaign is designed to celebrate the venerable C-130 Hercules tactical cargo aircraft and bring increased awareness to the local presence of 910th Airlift Wing and YARS in Northeast Ohio. This campaign will also bring together currently serving Reserve Citizen Airmen, civilians, and thousands of veterans within 50 miles of the base.
Since the Mahoning Valley Scrappers are leaders in fun, and experts at creating unique moments at the stadium and in the community, their team has created new specialty marketing components include a new logo, patch, flag, educational markers, caps and jersey that are unique to the ‘Operation Fly Together’ campaign.
Elements of this new Partnership will fall under five categories — Support, Honor, Educate, Celebrate and Community. Here are some details of each category of this new Partnership:
Support – To celebrate the C-130 Hercules and the ‘Operation Fly Together’ campaign in Mahoning Valley, the Mahoning Valley Scrappers will host “The 910th Airlift Wing ‘Operation Fly Together’ Night” in conjunction with the Scrappers game on Saturday, August 6, 2022. To support this exciting partnership, a new patch and logo have been created. This patch and logo will be used on the sleeve of a specialty jersey created specifically for the partnership of the 910th Airlift Wing and the Mahoning Valley Scrappers celebrating ‘Operation Fly Together.’ A new team cap featuring a “Winger” logo, inspired by the YARS Mascot Winger, has been created and players will wear these caps at the game. Additionally,
the Mahoning Valley Scrappers have developed a new merchandise line for the Team Store that features the ‘Operation Fly Together’ patch logo and the “Winger” logo. Mechandise is available now for pre-order here: https://scrappers.milbstore.com/collections/operation-fly-together
Honor – To honor the men and women assigned to Youngstown ARS and living throughout the surrounding greater Mahoning Valley area. A new ‘Operation Fly Together’ flag will be featured at Eastwood Field in honor of the campaign on ‘Military Appreciation Nights’ and “The 910th Airlift Wing ‘Operation Fly Together’ Night.” The Mahoning Valley Scrappers are continuing their ‘Military Appreciation Nights’. This weekly promotion has occurred at Eastwood Field for at least 15 seasons and will continue to occur during the 2022 season. Every Wednesday, military members can receive 2 free tickets to the Scrappers game. Military branches are recognized and featured on these days. Additionally, the Mahoning Valley Scrappers will host “The 910th Airlift Wing ‘Operation Fly Together’ Night” on August 6, 2022. During the game, the Scrappers will wear the specialty jerseys and caps; there will be in game/online auction of the game-worn specialty jerseys and caps; the 910th will have table displays at the game; the 910th’s Winger mascot will be in attendance and the members of the 910th Airlift Wing will participate in pre-game and in-game activities such as singing the National Anthem, ceremonial first pitches, pre-game ceremonies on field prior to the game, promotional videos during the game, kids activities, the 7th inning stretch and more.
Educate – To bring awareness about the C-130 Hercules and its history. The following items are being developed to accomplish this goal: C-130 Hercules educational marker signs throughout the concourse; C-130/Winger coloring sheets in Kids Fun Zone and a Winger marker in the Fun Zone.
Celebrate – To bring awareness in a fun and positive way with the general public. The following events and items are being developed to accomplish this goal: Kids meet and greet with Winger and 910th Airlift Wing members as well as special ticket and merchandise packages available for fans.
Community – To rally the community and bring positive awareness about the positioning of Youngstown Air Reserve Station in the community. In addition to the joint press event kicking off this Partnership, the following events are being planned to accomplish this goal: Mahoning Valley Scrappers Players visit to YARS and a Baseball clinic for 910th Airlift Wing Families.
The Mahoning Valley Scrappers Baseball Team and the 910th Airlift Wing are excited to team up for “Operation Fly Together.” We look forward to bringing this new Community Engagement Partnership campaign to the Mahoning Valley and continuing our efforts together for years to come.
The Mahoning Valley Scrappers are one of six founding members of the MLB Draft League, joining the Frederick Keys, the State College Spikes, the Trenton Thunder, the West Virginia Black Bears and the Williamsport Crosscutters. For more information and to purchase tickets and merchandise, visit mvscrappers.com or contact the front office at 330-505-0000.