New to the Loons this season was the six-game Red Wings Legends Series ticket package, presented by MidMichigan Health, which featured three nights of bobblehead giveaways and three nights of player appearances, the most recent of which brought Red Wings legend Darren McCarty to Dow Diamond.

Early on the day of his appearance, July 28, the Loons front office received a call from his agent who was wondering if McCarty join the Loons for batting practice. After clearing it with Loons manager John Shoemaker, McCarty’s locker and jersey were quickly on their way to being assembled.

The whole thing provided for a rather entertaining afternoon for everyone involved. McCarty truly was a Loon for a day, embraced by all the players as if he had been on the roster since Opening Day.

After stretches, the position players and McCarty practiced base-running. McCarty was last in line and capped off the drill with a bit of showmanship: a head first slide into third base.

Continuing on in the team’s regular pregame routine, the grounds crew set up for the actual batting part of BP. In the meantime, McCarty got a much needed water break.

Possibly enjoying the visitor the most was infielder Chris Henderson, who admitted to using YouTube earlier in the day to school a few of his teammates on McCarty’s more memorable moments: mainly the turtle and the rematch.

Finally it was time to hit in the cage. Prior to stepping in with the lumber, McCarty recalled the days he took BP at Tigers Stadium and hit a couple out of the park. Years later now, and likely winded from infield drills, McCarty was happy that he had a few good cuts.

McCarty’s first love was baseball, but his natural talent as a hockey player won out and brought him to eventually win four Stanley Cups in 13 seasons with the Red Wings. It was a blast having him out.

The final part of MidMichigan Health’s six-part Red Wings Legend Series will be on  Thursday, August 25, when Barry Melrose (former Red Wings defensemen, current ESPN Hockey analyst and long-time mullet enthusiast) will be making a special appearance. For tickets, visit Loons.com or call 989-837-BALL.

Everyone together now, flip your calendars to August and let’s welcome in the unofficial start of fall. With it arrives back to school commercials and community football gatherings, but first up, those of us in the Great Lakes Bay Region and beyond can enjoy the one and only Lizard Fair, presented by 102.5 WIOG, taking place Sunday, August 7.

For the third year in a row, the concert will be hosted at the friendly confines of Dow Diamond, which will quickly transform from ball park to concert venue. Because there is a lot to be ready for come Sunday, Loons blog From the Nest has compiled a Lizard Fair Guide to prep you with the essentials and inside access.

FTN’s Guide to Lizard Fair 2011:

Every year people doubt the importance of arriving early, but believe me, it’s the only way to get the best seats in the house. If you want any chance of being one of the lucky fans to go home with an autograph, guitar pick, or swiftly cut lock of James Maslow’s hair, you better arrive early. As indicated by the photo below, the line gets long.

Schedule of Events:
4:00 PM: Gates open at Dow Diamond
6:00 PM: Opening Act – Secondhand Serenade
6:45 PM: Michael Africk
7:30 PM: Runner Runner
8:15 PM: Flo Rida
9:15 PM: Big Time Rush
10:10 PM: Jay Sean
*set times are approximate

The Billing:

Jay Sean • Big Time Rush
Flo Rida • Runner Runner
Michael Africk • Secondhand Serenade

Tips and Tricks:

Day & Night Wear – It’s important to stand out at Lizard Fair, but it’s just as important to be comfortable. Some shades to protect your eyes are well-advised for some of the day time sets, while glow-wear will be perfect to make your presence visible at night. Kill two birds with one stone with a pair of these.

Free Gear -  The WIOG event staff are like concert pinatas, full of free promotional gear and sweets. But instead of hitting them with a long stick while blind-folded, just screaming at them will do just as well. The event staff will be clearly marked with WIOG Lizard Fair shirts of the same bright color and will be mingling outside with fans even before the gates open. Be sure to use this time to make friends with these helpers so that when it comes time for free gear, they’ll see your face in the crowd and aim their t-shirt gun your way. Also, creative signs have proved to be effective.

Staying Social – Want the inside information, like when the next act is or photos of Big Time Rush before they take the stage? Well, then be sure to follow all of the Lizard Fair media on twitter: @1025_WIOG @greatlakesloons // And of course the artists’ handles: @bigtimerush @official_flo  @jaysean @runnerrunner @MichaelAfrick @secondhandjohn // Also if you haven’t checked out the Lizard Fair Facebook fan page, be sure to give it a look. Or make a comment if you have any questions.

Where’s Shawn?:

Like any concert or festival, there is going to be some down time in between acts, and while texting your friends about your proximity to Big Time Rush is very necessary, it’s not going to fill all of the time. Therefore, FTN is presenting a one-of-a-kind game to play while you wait. It’s called ‘Where’s Shawn?’. It’s kind of like playing ‘Where’s Waldo’, but in real life. If you never met Shawn, he was the first person to buy Lizard Fair tickets at Dow Diamond this year. And assuming he hasn’t cut his hair or gotten a job, Shawn will look like the photo above and be rocking out with the rest of us on Sunday. Find him and say ‘Hey’.

Additional Info:

Lizard Fair ticket sales are heating up, so if you plan on attending and haven’t locked yours in yet, be sure to do so now! Great seats are still available in sections BB, CC, and DD. Also, general admission seating is available at $20!

While the show is scheduled to take up a whole afternoon, the hours of fun at Lizard Fair will be like a flash, only to be remembered in the form of a time lapse video set to the Benny Hill theme song. Enjoy it folks!

To order your tickets for Lizard Fair 2011, call 989-837-BALL or click here.