Rafters Tradition of Honoring Military Continues

During the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters 10^thAnniversary Season, the team has continued its tradition of honoring the armed forces through Elks Lodge Military Mondays and Ho-Chunk Gaming Nekoosa Military Appreciation Night.

The Rafters have hosted three Elks Lodge Military Mondays already this season, where all veterans or current military personnel could present Military ID at the ticket office to receive a free reserved bleacher ticket, hot dog, fountain soda & hat for them and their children.

In addition, the Rafters honor members of the military by asking them to stand during their branch’s song in the Armed Forces Medley. The Rafters will hold one more Elks Lodge Military Monday this season on July 1.

“This link between the Rafters, Elk Lodge No. 693, and local veterans and active-duty military is very special and one that I am glad to have taken part in developing,” said Tina Lamb of Elk Lodge No. 693. “The veterans’ favorite part of the game is standing when their military song is played and the game attendees are clapping for us.”

Not only does this serve as a way to honor members of the U.S. military, the weekly event allows Rafters players to gain a well-rounded perspective.

“It’s really special being able to honor these men. They gave their lives for our country and it’s really cool knowing most of them are die-hard Rafters fans,” said Rafters outfielder Anthony Galason. “We are so thankful that so many veterans come to every single one of our games rain or shine.”

Catcher Jake Dunham echoed Galason’s sentiments and added that the Military Monday benefits the players as well as military members in attendance.

“It’s just a great reminder to look out in the stands at all the people standing and know that there are things a lot bigger than baseball out there,” Dunham said. “It’s a really cool experience.”

The Rafters continue to recognize the armed forces this season with Ho-Chunk Gaming Nekoosa Military Appreciation Night on Thursday, July 20. The team will wear special digital camo jerseys and auction them off postgame to benefit the Never Forgotten Honor Flight.

Want to attend a Rafters game this season? Single-game tickets are on sale now. For more information on all Rafters ticket offerings visit Raftersbaseball.com, call the Rafthouse at 715-424-5400, or come visit us over at historic Witter Field. The Rafters ticket office is open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday at Witter Field, 521 Lincoln Street in Wisconsin Rapids.

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The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, over 200 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (TOR). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.raftersbaseball.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Rafters as your favorite team.