LEXINGTON COUNTY, S.C. Sep. 23, 2015- The Lexington County Blowfish announced today the first promotion for the 2016 season. The Blowfish, the Greater Lexington Chamber & Visitors Center in cooperation with the Greater Columbia Chamber will begin the 100th anniversary of Ft. Jackson a year early by celebrating the 99th Birthday on the Annual Ft. Jackson/Blowfish Night at the Lexington County Baseball Stadium and wear one of a kind camouflage player jerseys.
The camo jerseys will be worn by the Blowfish players and fans will have the opportunity to bid on the jerseys during the game. Winners will get to go down on the field at the end of the game and the players will take the "Shirts Off Their Back" and present them to the winners. The date for the game will be announced once the 2016 CPL Schedule is released.
During this past season the Blowfish honored Lake Murray and the Lexington County District One Educational Foundation with one of a kind themed jerseys to help raise much needed funds. Ft. Jackson Night is an annual Blowfish baseball game for thousands of Basic Training Soldiers to come out and enjoy our National Pastime.
The Blowfish and the Greater Columbia Chamber have partnered on this event for many years. It was initiated by Blowfish owner Bill Shanahan and the late Ike McLeese who was the President and CEO of the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce for nearly two decades, and was the civilian aide to the Secretary of the Army. This great tradition continues on with the Columbia Chamber president Carl Blackstone and Lexington Chamber & Visitors Center President Randy Halfacre.
"We are excited to be help enhance the Gateway to the Army's Fort Jackson Centennial Park campaign" said Blowfish owner Bill Shanahan." Proceeds will benefit the Gateway to the Army Association.
In 2017, Fort Jackson, SC will celebrate 100 years since it started training American Soldiers to defend our Nation and the American Way of Life. Since 1917, Soldiers initially trained at Fort Jackson have gone on to proudly stand within the ranks during WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom and other major operations and conflicts.
The Gateway to the Army Association is working with the community to commemorate 100 years of Fort Jackson by building a centennial park. This will be the first park of this scope and type that has ever been donated to a U.S. Army installation. It will be historic, but also forward looking. It will inspire, particularly the tens of thousands of new soldiers & their families that get their first taste of the Army here.
Centennial Park will commemorate 100 years of Fort Jackson and will feature the Wildcat Amphitheater, a Soldier's Statue, a Foreign Theater Plaza, and a Pathway of Patriots.