For Immediate Release

Fundraising Event For Exhibition Promises Baseball Excitement
Mesa Historical Museum - PlayBallExperience.com

Oct. 8, 2008 (MESA, Ariz.) – The Mesa Historical Museum is partnering with the Society for American Baseball Research, Arizona Fall League and HohoKam Stadium to present “Cactus League Night in Mesa”, a fundraising evening filled with food, fun, and the sites and sounds of baseball. Held Nov. 8, the event starts at 5 p.m. Tickets are $20 and include entrance into the stadium, special patio seating at the Arizona Fall League game (Mesa Solar Sox v. Phoenix Desert Dogs), ballpark dinner and the opportunity to participate in a silent auction and meet former Major League Baseball players (to be announced). Space is limited.

The event was created to help fund the museum’s next exhibit, Play Ball: The Cactus League Experience at Mesa Historical Museum. Scheduled to open Jan. 10, 2009, the exhibit will celebrate the long and colorful history of professional baseball in Arizona. Featuring interactive and educational displays, the exhibit promises to treat visitors to stories of the players, teams and ballparks that make up Cactus League baseball in Arizona.

“We have been generating a lot of excitement around the new exhibit and this event will help further build momentum of what’s to come,” said Lisa Anderson, Mesa Historical Museum’s executive director. “We are excited about sharing the history and lore of the Cactus League with residents and visitors come this January.”

Cactus League Night in Mesa will include a silent auction featuring memorabilia from some of baseball's best moments and players including autographed balls and jerseys by Randy Johnson and Steven Drew, a rare 1954 Ted Williams Coke sign, a jersey worn and signed by Robert Redford in the movie The Natural and more. On hand to meet guests will be several former Major League Baseball players. Autographs are available for a fee. After dinner and the silent auction, the game will follow at 7:00 p.m. Proceeds from the ticket purchase will benefit the Mesa Historical Museum.

Tickets are available for purchase online at www.PlayBallExperience.com and also for sale at Mesa Historical Museum, 2345 N. Horne Street or 480-835-7358.

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PLAY BALL: THE CACTUS LEAGUE EXPERIENCE SPONSORS & SUPPORT:
Play Ball: The Cactus League Experience at the Mesa Historical Museum is proudly supported by community and baseball interests vital to its success including The Cactus League Association, Arizona Major League Alumni Association, Arizona Fall League, Major League Baseball, and the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). Sponsors include Wells Fargo, SRP, Tribune Newspapers, Mesa Convention & Visitors Bureau, KTAR Radio, Integrated Web Strategies. The exhibition and associated programming are also made possible, in part, by a grant from the Arizona Humanities Council.

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Lisa Anderson, Executive Director
Mesa Historical Museum
Direct: (480) 835-7358
Email: lisa@mesahistoricalmuseum.org

Michelle Streeter, Director of Public Relations
Mesa Convention & Visitors Bureau
Direct: 480-682-3638 Toll-free: 800-283-6372 x345
Email: Michelle@VisitMesa.com