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ALTON - The new Alton River Dragons Prospect League Baseball team kicked off their start in the city with considerable excitement at a well-attended Meet and Greet in Downtown Alton on Wednesday afternoon.

Players, coaches, management, and fans were in attendance at the meet and greet. The River Dragons kick off their season at 6:30 Thursday night at Lloyd Hopkins Field at Gordon Moore Park in Alton.

Alton River Dragons General Manager Dallas Martz said the Meet and Greet was an opportunity for the players to put on their uniform jerseys and a chance for two things, No. 1, for our players to meet the community and No. 2, for the community to meet the players because about 95 percent of our roster is made up of kids that live in other parts of the country. One of our players got here from Philadelphia today and he has never been to the Midwest.

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“This was a fun day. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I think we had a great turnout tonight. We have a great band and think it was a good thing for our kids to meet people. It was also good for our sponsors, Coors Light, is a great sponsor, and Old Bakery Brewery made us a Lemon Dragon Rattler Beer, it is kind of a lemon beer. We will have it at the park and be in retail soon. Our owner Steve Marso is here. The band was the well-known ‘Flip The Frog,’ Lenny one of the lead singers has become one of my good friends in the past six months.”

Martz said Thursday's opener will be "a crazy, emotional day."

"It has been about getting to opening day and on top of COVID," Martz said. "I think we knocked it out of the park because of the great community and the businesses,” Martz said.

“I love Alton. It is a great place.”

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