Worcester Red Sox welcome local elementary schools to Polar Park for musical Thanksgiving Luncheon

The Worcester Red Sox welcomed students and staff members from Midland Street Elementary School and Clark Street Community School on Tuesday, November 14, to Polar Park for a Thanksgiving Luncheon that featured a musical performance by a band of WooSox favorites.

At noon, students doodled on coloring pages and created holiday ornaments upon arrival in Polar Park’s DCU Club. Each student and staff member took turns visiting the buffet and filling their plates with turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls, and cupcakes.

Before the buffet, Mary Malley, a Midland Street School building substitute and instructional coach, reunited with WooSox Chairman and Principal Owner Larry Lucchino. On Tuesday, October 1, 2019, Lucchino visited Malley’s second-grade classroom to congratulate her on becoming the WooSox’ 1,000th full-season ticket holder. Malley said her second grade students in 2019 are now in their last year at Midland and are about to head to middle school, so meeting Lucchino is “a great memory for them,” and spending time at Polar Park is “something they’ll always remember.”

“For some of them, they don’t know that [Polar Park] is here and have never experienced it,” Malley said. “Seeing what the WooSox do, down the line, maybe they’ll come and they’ll work here when they get older. They’ll bring their families here and experience it and what wonderful things we have here in Worcester.”

Once everyone was settled in with their lunches, WooSox President Dr. Charles Steinberg took the DCU Club microphone and welcomed Smiley Ball, Woofster the WonderDog, and Roberto the Rocket to join him in a musical performance. After renditions of The Beatles’ “I Saw Her Standing There” and Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline,” Steinberg shared a sneak preview of next season’s lyrical anthem, “WooSox ’24,” with the help of the friendly WooSox characters.

“You are the first to ever hear that song,” he said. “Now, if you hear that song in the ballpark next spring, next summer, you can say, ‘I was the first to hear that at a Thanksgiving Luncheon.’ You give us a very happy Thanksgiving by joining us here, and we thank you all very much. I hope you’ll come again and visit.”