The Chattanooga Lookouts will take the field as the Chattanooga Choo-Choos and play against the Birmingham Black Barons during Negro League Appreciation Weekend at AT&T Field, sponsored by the Bessie Smith Cultural Center in partnership with Food City and TVFCU.
This two-day celebration will take place on Friday, May 27 and Saturday, May 28. On Friday night the team will cap off the night with a postgame fireworks show and on Saturday the first 1,000 fans through the gates will receive a commemorative Negro League Weekend seat cushion.
“We are excited and incredibly thankful for Food City and TVFCU for their support of this historic weekend at AT&T Field,” said Paula Wilkes, president of the Bessie Smith Cultural Center. “It is important to honor the incredible legacy of the Negro Leagues and be able to share their story with the Chattanooga community.”
On Negro League Appreciation Weekend, the Lookouts will wear Chattanooga Choo-Choos jerseys to honor the minor league Negro League team that played at Engel Stadium from 1940 – 1946. The Barons will don the jerseys of the Birmingham Black Barons who were members of the inaugural Negro Southern League in 1920.
The two games between the Choo-Choos and the Black Barons will also feature appearances from former Negro League players including Alfonsa Holt, Sr., Reginald Howard, Russell “Crazy Legs” Patterson, Jimmy Tatum and Charles White. On each night the Negro League alumni will be honored in a pre-game ceremony and be available for autographs during the game.
Prior to Saturday’s game, the Bessie Smith Cultural Center is inviting fans to join the Negro League Players for a meet-and-greet breakfast, sponsored by Erlanger, at 10 a.m. Tickets for this breakfast are $10 and can be reserved by calling 423-266-8658.
Tickets for Negro League Appreciation Weekend are on sale now at Lookouts.com. For more information on how to secure your seats to the season’s games, call the Lookouts’ ticket office at 423-267-4TIX.