Garden Party
I attended my first Dodgers FanFest and ended up learning a lot about plants.
The last time the Los Angeles Dodgers had held a FanFest event, it was a blissful time when none of us had ever heard of the coronavirus. Despite watching some of the televised highlights and preparing to attend in 2020, I had never actually been to one. I was able to rectify that when tickets got released on January 26. While entry and parking are both complimentary, fans do need a digital ticket to enter. I also plunked down $25 for the right to take a photo with second baseman Gavin Lux.
Fortunately, I didn’t plan on greeting Mookie Betts who ended up missing the event in order to compete in a professional bowling tournament. Nevertheless, due to illness Lux was replaced by Diego Cartaya, the team’s top prospect. I was disappointed when I read the emailed update but realized that meeting a potential future star would still be enjoyable. I arrived at Dodger Stadium at 10 AM on February 5, had my ticket scanned, and proceeded to field level.
After an attendant scanned my Ballpark app in front of the right field wall, I was just the second person in Cartaya’s line. “Nice to meet you,” I told him. The 6’3” catcher greeted me and smiled while a Dodgers employee took our picture. It all happened very quickly, but I was pleased.
There were plenty of other available activities including buying memorabilia, climbing a rock wall, obtaining autographs, running the bases, and much more. I moved to center field and waited in line for the batting cages. Unfortunately, I got the faster of the two pitching machines. A few whiffs later, I walked off the field. Dorina had researched the botanical garden tour and, even in her absence, I decided to join it.
Our host was the affable Chaz Perea, the head of Dodger Stadium’s landscape crew. Perea also teaches at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut and clearly has a wealth of experience. He called his fellow landscapers the “cream of the crop” from a local labor union as they also know a lot about construction. That comes in handy when you’re filling the so-called martini planters with special agave plants shipped from the gardens of The Huntington in San Marino.
Perea had some wild stories to tell, like the time that coyotes destroyed part of the irrigation system in 2020. He also laughed about inebriated fans who destroy plants when they slide down the hillside to exit the stadium. Occasionally, the crew receives praise when spectators notice that plants smell good as they celebrate a victory on the way to their cars.
While the Top Deck contains some of the least expensive seats in the stadium, a converted fountain in the upper parking lot contains an explosion of color. Perea explained that lots of trial and error goes into figuring out what plants work in this environment. It also helps to use soil probes in order to make sure that nothing gets overwatered.
Observant visitors will notice the labels on many species. While most are plain blue, I enjoyed the Dodgers logo on one particular marker.
For the grand finale, the crew handed out some parting gifts. I went home with a lavender plant which was great because I have a taste for lavender flavored coffee drinks.
There’s a lot of plant life to admire in the sprawling stadium grounds, and I didn’t even get to see the secret areas where employees grow vegetables. Before I left the city, I took a short drive to the Museum of Contemporary Art. Aside from a Jean-Michel Basquiat piece, the highlight was the B-Side exhibition of art by Henry Taylor.
Taylor doesn’t shy away from sociopolitical commentary, but he also demonstrates revererence for sports heroes such as baseball pioneer Jackie Robinson. Prior to breaking the color barrier in the major leagues with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Robinson was a major star at Pasadena College and UCLA.
In a similar vein, See Alice Run is a tribute to track star Alice Coachman who became the first Black woman to win an Olympic gold medal in 1948.
I came away excited about the upcoming baseball season as well as life in general. Even better, I am now familiar with the Traveler’s Palm, Copper Spoons, and former owner Walter O’Malley’s penchant for growing ivy. The garden tour ended up being a nice change of pace, and the team plans to conduct more tours during the regular season. That’s good news for those who live in Southern California and have never heard the good professor speak.
Plenty more information is available on Perea’s Instagram.
A Baseball fan and Botanist!