CLINTON, Iowa — Familiar traditions, and the sights and sounds of America's favorite pastime, are back in Burlington and Clinton.
Fans walked into NelsonCorp Field in Clinton for the Clinton LumberKings' home opener on Friday. It was a doubleheader against the Burlington Bees, after the originally scheduled opener was rained out on Thursday.
After a year without baseball, familiar faces in familiar places have made a comeback.
"Honestly I just love baseball," said Josh Petty. "It’s a perfect thing to do in the summer. You know, be around a ballpark, get paid to do it, it’s awesome."
Petty is an usher for the LumberKings at NelsonCorp Field. He made the drive from his home in Rock Falls, Ill., to work his first game for the team he grew up watching.
"When I was younger I actually saw my first game here," Petty said.
It's those familiar sounds Petty won't forget, and that he looks forward to hearing each time he comes to the ballpark.
"I wish I had a recorder of that I could fall asleep to that every night," said Petty.
The opener was also exciting for Burlington Bees fans, like Chad Wissinger, who is cheering on his son.
"To watch him play baseball anywhere is just awesome, but to make that jump to play for the Bees, you know, a place where I was a bat boy and worked as a kid, I can’t explain it," said Wissinger.
Wissinger worked for the Burlington Bees in the 1980s.
"I was the popcorn kid and then I was the bat boy," said Wissinger.
It is now coming full circle, watching his son play on that same team.
So on this opening day, America's favorite pastime is beginning to show signs of something more normal.
"Nothing beats being at the ballpark and seeing it in person," said Petty.