READING, Pa.- Inside Pagoda City Brewing, Opening Day is already in full swing. They opened early for the Phillies, turning this into a full watch party.
“This is our annual watch party that we do with WEEU, they are helping the food drive for Helping Harvest,” said Christian Kriebel with Pagoda City Brewing.
The goal: bring fans together and give back at the same time.
The place is expecting a crowd throughout the day, with fans coming in waves, before, during, and after the game.
“We could see upwards of 150 down to 75. They’ll come straight from work and stuff like that,” Kriebel said.
Outside, a beautiful sunny day and tacos on the grill. Inside, beer flowing. All part of what’s become a yearly tradition.
“We’ve been doing this a couple of years now, and each year it keeps getting better. Camaraderie here is getting more and more,” said owner Raj Jagadesa.
For some fans, like Jon Steiger, who just retired, it’s more than just baseball.
“This is the first opening day I wasn’t working,” Steiger said.
And of course, many are showing up with donations in hand.
“I heard that and I thought, well, I’ll bring a couple of cans along. Maybe I wouldn’t take it to a game, so I figured I’d bring some stuff,” Steiger added.