Forecast for 'Thunder' at Reds' ballpark

HUNTINGTON -- Marshall and the Cincinnati Reds are teaming up for the Great American Thunderfest.

The Marshall University Alumni Association, MU Alumni Club of Cincinnati and the Big Green Scholarship Foundation are sponsors of Great American Thunderfest and the Big Green Coaches Tour stop on the weekend of May 31 and June 1 in Cincinnati.

Marshall President Stephen Kopp will throw out the first pitch before a May 31 baseball game between the Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves at Great American Ball Park.

A pre-game reception is scheduled at the ball park. The ThunderTones, a Huntington vocal group, will perform during the seventh-inning stretch.

Events continue June 1 with the Big Green Coaches Tour and a golf scramble at Legendary Run Golf Course in Cincinnati. Marshall coaches and former Thundering Herd athletes including Mark Bartrum and Mark Dorris are among the participants.

"With the ThunderFest accompanying the 2008 Big Green Coaches Tour event on Sunday, we are bringing together a number of things Marshall alumni and Herd fans love and enjoy -- Cincinnati Reds baseball, golf, great food and most of all the Marshall University Thundering Herd," said John Chafin, MU Cincinnati Club secretary and a former Marshall baseball player. "We have put together a weekend that has something for every Marshall University fan and we expect a large turnout."

Several price levels are available for the weekend, ranging from $29.99 per person for a package that includes a ticket to the game, a ThunderFest T-shirt, a Reds Hall of Fame pass and early admission to the Herd FanZone area to $799.99 for a complete weekend package that covers all events.

Details of the different packages are available online at www.greatamericanthunderfest.com. Tickets can also be purchased on that Web site.

The Great American ThunderFest offers hotel and shuttle services for the event. Participants can purchase discounted Reds Hall of Fame tickets, and also may purchase T-Shirts for the event.

For more information, contact Chafin at (513) 404-8484 or by e-mail at jchafin7@hotmail.com.