Cold weather has been no match for the Oakland Ballers community.
Ballers fans, neighbors and family members are coming together at Raimondi Park for the baseball team’s “Town Flicks” series, in which Pixar films are shown on the video board and folks can take in the movie from the outfield grass.
The first showing of “Coco” ran earlier this month, when the Ballers gave away 1,000 free tickets.
Saturday, the Ballers will double the capacity with 2,000 free tickets as folks gather in the outfield to watch “Inside Out,” Pixar’s hit animated film featuring Amy Poehler.
The Ballers’ mission “has always been about more than baseball,” said co-founder Paul Freedman. “Being able to host Little League games, high school tournaments and free community movie nights with this ‘Town Flicks’ initiative is an integral part of the revitalization of our historic ballpark.”
The ballpark hosted more than 110,000 fans during the Ballers’ summer season, in which the team won the Pioneer League championship in September, then celebrated with a parade in October.
To keep the community together in the offseason, the team partnered with Pixar, whose animation studio is just more than a mile away on Park Avenue in Emeryville, and Cal State East Bay to bring fans a series of free films screened at the ballpark.
At the first one, there was face painting for the kids as well as food trucks. Folks are also encouraged to bring their own food and drink, though no alcohol or glass bottles are allowed, and everything must be in a clear bag.
Fans can also bring blankets (a few might be needed with the chilly weather Saturday) and chairs to sit in the outfield grass while the movie plays on the video board and sound plays over the stadium’s speaker system.
The team will host three more movie nights, with “Cars” scheduled to play in January, “Soul” in February, and a fan vote to decide the movie in March.
Details: Doors open at 5:30 p.m., movie at 6:30 p.m., Raimondi Park, 1689 20th St., Oakland. Tickets required. oaklandballers.com
