The “Rafters” are joining the Northwoods League! Wednesday night, in front of a standing room only crowd at Hotel Mead in Wisconsin Rapids, the newest member of the NWL unveiled their name and identity. The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters will call Witter Field home starting this summer. From Friday, January, 15th thru Wednesday, January 20th the team held an online vote to determine the name of the franchise. The top three selections are as follows:
- Rafters – 29%
- River Rats – 23%
- Boggers – 22%
- Total of 1,650 votes!
The identity of the team incorporates all three of the top vote getters. Rafting was a prominent activity on the Wisconsin River, primarily as part of the logging industry in the delivery of logs to the various mills along the river. The creature riding the raft is a “River Rat.” The team will create a mascot based on the River Rat and will host a “Name the Mascot” contest. “River Rats” was the nickname of the people who operated rafts on the Wisconsin River en-route to the mills. Finally, the team’s primary color will be Cranberry Red, a tribute to the strong cranberry industry in the area.
The winner of the “Name the Hometown Team” contest is Brian Schmidt of Wisconsin Rapids. He will receive a pair of season tickets for the 2010 season. Twelve people submitted Rafters as their idea for the name of the team during the first phase of the contest and they will each receive a 9-game pack for the 2010 season. Various other prizes were awarded for fans creativity with the name they submitted.
A full menu of ticket options, pricing and packages was unveiled during the press conference. Season Tickets, group outings and 9-game plans are now on sale at the Rafters office at City Hall in Wisconsin Rapids. The Rafters will play a 70 game schedule with 35 home games in 2010. Opening Day at Witter Field is scheduled for Sunday, June 6 at 6:05 vs the Eau Claire Express. For more information log onto raftersbaseball.com or call (715) 424-5400.
