MLB's All-Star FanFest kicks off in Miami today, and the five-day event will transform the Miami Beach Convention Center into a "baseball mecca for fans." Despite "weeks of construction delays because of planning, permitting and design changes, those in charge of the 1.4 million-square-foot facility are confident it will be in working order when the masses descend" (MIAMI HERALD, 7/6). Large electronic screens "with music and highlights and pictures of stars" like Orioles 3B Manny Machado, Nationals RF Bryce Harper and others "will greet fans" (MIAMI HERALD, 7/7).
The "coolest interactive challenge, for kids of various ages, is the Virtual Reality Derby, debuting this year." Fans "put on the VR headset and the virtual slugger has the view" of the inside of Marlins Park. Then they "step to the plate with virtual bat in hand and see how many homers" they can hit in 90 seconds. The FanFest runs from 9:00am-8:00pm each day except Tuesday, when it closes at 6:00pm prior to the All-Star Game (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 7/7). Meanwhile, the auctioning of the "Personal Connection of Roberto Clemente" will take place on Tuesday, the last day of the FanFest. At the event, run by Hunt Auctions, Clemente items "will be displayed like they're in a museum" (MIAMI HERALD, 7/6).
A silhouette of Marlins RF Giancarlo Stanton will "replace the so-called 'Dancing Lady' image on the InterContinental Miami luxury hotel" today through Tuesday. Stanton: "I see her jiggling her butt all the time from across the way. ... It was really cool. They sent me a really cool silhouette of just the skyline and the fireworks and everything. Definitely looks really awesome" (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 7/6).
