FRESNO, Calif. (KMPH) -
Marco Mastro enjoys taking his kids to Fresno Grizzlies games.
"It's something different. It's a lot of fun. They enjoy baseball. I enjoy baseball. It's a beautiful stadium and it's a good time," Mastro said.
Mastro says he noticed the new carnival at the stadium a few weeks ago.
"My kids didn't go over there at all. They were more interested in sitting up and watching the game, eating hot dogs," he said.
It's music to the ears of Grizzlies officials, after the carnival that was brought in to bump up interest at the beginning of the season packed up and left.
"I'm sure there was a little disappointment. Like I said, it was a little slower to be adopted. But that's anticipated. It's change and it's something new and it's kind of away from the game itself," Chris Kutz, with the Fresno Grizzlies, said.
Wold Amusements out of Hanford runs the carnival. And in an interview with Business Street Online several weeks ago, Jason Wold seemed to imply the rides would be there throughout the whole season.
"The rides in here that we put in were based upon family, family attractions. We looked at our list and said, ok we're going to be in this park and we want to give something that caters to a family," Wold told Business Street Online.
Grizzlies officials tell KMPH News, the contract did allow the carnival to leave if another event came up.
They just didn't think it would be so soon.
"We've got to understand, he's a business as well. So he's got to go find where the customers are."
The stadium seats more than 12,000 people. But on average, it sells about half of that.
Grizzlies officials say it's enough to keep the ball in play, as long as fans like Marco Mastro keep stepping up to the plate.
"I really don't want to see it go away," Mastro said. "It's something that I think downtown really needs. And I would really love to see it fill up here."
A Grizzlies spokesperson says he doesn't know if the carnival is coming back. And he probably won't know until August at the earliest.
They say they will bring back the "fun zone," which includes things like a bounce house and water slide.
KMPH did try and contact Jason Wold of Wold Amusements. Our calls were not returned.
