{"id":32759,"date":"2023-07-21T19:17:33","date_gmt":"2023-07-22T01:17:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/connie-mack-parade-draws-enthusiastic-crowd-of-thousands-to-farmingtons-main-street\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T02:02:27","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T08:02:27","slug":"connie-mack-parade-draws-enthusiastic-crowd-of-thousands-to-farmingtons-main-street","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/connie-mack-parade-draws-enthusiastic-crowd-of-thousands-to-farmingtons-main-street\/","title":{"rendered":"Connie Mack parade draws enthusiastic crowd of thousands to Farmington\u2019s Main Street"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=15d7c93d-c4c3-5139-b8e7-7790c58ad0ff&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" width=\"1250\" height=\"729\" alt=\"The 2023 Connie Mack World Series kicked off Friday with an hourlong parade down Farmington\u2019s Main Street. Games in the series began Friday afternoon and continue all week. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">The 2023 Connie Mack World Series kicked off Friday with an hourlong parade down Farmington\u2019s Main Street. Games in the series began Friday afternoon and continue all week. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span><span class=\"credit\">Jerry McBride<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><p>The 2023 Connie Mack World Series parade brought an overflow crowd to downtown Farmington on a blazing-hot Friday morning for the 10 a.m. start time. Top baseball players from around the country received a warm welcome.<\/p>\n<p>The annual event, hosted by Scott Michlin, Devin Neeley and Jenny Lee Ryan, brought out friendly Farmington baseball fans and community supporters.<\/p>\n<p>Parade Grand Marshal Mark Williams led the parade with a wave to the crowd that lined street for nearly a mile as the temperature rose steadily from 86 degrees at the start.<\/p>\n<p>Twelve teams from across the U.S. will compete in the 2023 Connie Mack World Series, including the local winner of the Connie Mack local qualifying tournament, the 505 Panthers.<\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=f8ed9b6e-aa8f-5a6d-8b88-9862f8841fc4&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" alt=\"The Connie Mack World Series mascot Mack greeted fans at the parade Friday morning. Games in the series began Friday afternoon and continue all week. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">The Connie Mack World Series mascot Mack greeted fans at the parade Friday morning. Games in the series began Friday afternoon and continue all week. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span><span class=\"credit\">Jerry McBride<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><p>Jerrod Noble, whose wife, Kimberly, sang the national anthem, said \u201cIt\u2019s one of the big events, an awesome event where people come together.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Kimberly, who has sung at previous Connie Mack events, performed powerfully and flawlessly for an appreciative crowd.<\/p>\n<p>To lead the parade, the crew from Fly High gymnastics performed a few acrobatic tricks in front of the judges\u2019 stand. A young man did a flip over their banner, then performed a back flip.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video wp-block-embed-youtube naviga-video-embed\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/gkx1scQJ-qk\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The Beat House dance team, wearing denim cutoffs and white tank tops, performed a well-choreographed routine with silver pompoms.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI love it, I think it\u2019s so wonderful to see our community come together \u2026 and be so supportive and excited,\u201d said Darlene Heimer, adding, \u201cI love baseball and my daughter is sponsoring some of the players.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Christie Clugston, Heimer\u2019s daughter, is a first-time host family for Connie Mack players. \u201cWe\u2019ve said we want to do every year, and we just decided this was the year that we wanted to do it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=bddb6d62-4a0d-5aea-8642-0c4ab48f1319&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" alt=\"The 2023 Connie Mack World Series home team, 505 Panthers, greeted parade goers Friday morning. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">The 2023 Connie Mack World Series home team, 505 Panthers, greeted parade goers Friday morning. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span><span class=\"credit\">Jerry McBride<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><p>She said they have a family member who\u2019s on the Dallas Tigers and a nephew who plays baseball for Piedra Vista High School.<\/p>\n<p>Clugston said the three players they are hosting are really \u201cmannerly and polite, and so far it\u2019s been a blast.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe come out to Connie Mack and support the 505 Panthers. We love baseball. Kids grew up in this area, and baseball is a big thing here,\u201d Clugston said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think it\u2019s amazing that our town gets to be part of something that\u2019s so big,\u201d Clugston said.<\/p>\n<p>Mayor Nate Duckett, who\u2019s campaigning for a second term as Farmington mayor, had his team out cheering for the local team, the 505 Panthers. They called out their \u201cGo Panthers\u201d cheer and tossed plenty of candy to the crowd.<\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=32334bbc-041f-541d-9a98-23c595e6f716&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" alt=\"Farmington Mayor Nate Duckett joined the 2023 Connie Mack World Series parade Friday morning. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">Farmington Mayor Nate Duckett joined the 2023 Connie Mack World Series parade Friday morning. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span><span class=\"credit\">Jerry McBride<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><p>Several Farmington High School cheerleaders performed gymnastics skills and kicked in to their performance for the judges.<\/p>\n<p>Samantha Taft, who made a great catch of a small black rubber baseball that was tossed from one of the parade entrants, said she loved the parade and plans to attend some games. She said it made it special to have family in the parade.<\/p>\n<p>Tammi Thornton said her daughter Kya, an eighth grader, was on the Farmington High School cheer team for the first time. Thornton said it was \u201cgood to see the whole city come out and support the event.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Everett Chandler, an eighth grader at Heights Middle School, plays first base and pitches for Next Level. Chandler said he\u2019s played baseball since starting with T-ball. He plans to try out for the eighth grade team and wants to play in high school.<\/p>\n<p>He said the parade was \u201ccool\u201d and was there to support his sister, who was in the Kelly Greens dance team from Farmington High School.<\/p>\n<p>Grant Pennington said this was his family\u2019s third year hosting Connie Mack players. They hosted the Florida Legends the past two years and are hosting two players from the Mississauga Tigers from Ontario, Canada, this year.<\/p>\n<p>Pennington said the parade was \u201cgood as always and always a good time. The kids love it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=1a534ea6-306f-5f2d-b811-ddfb65fdcede&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" alt=\"The heat didn\u2019t stop thousands from showing up at the Connie Mack World Series parade Friday morning to support the teams. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">The heat didn\u2019t stop thousands from showing up at the Connie Mack World Series parade Friday morning to support the teams. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span><span class=\"credit\">Jerry McBride<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><p>Pennington\u2019s wife, Jessie, agreed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s awesome. I love the relationships that the boys make with my own kids,\u201d she said. \u201cI do this for my own kids, who are ages 14, 13, 10 and 8. She said her three boys all play baseball.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey really look up to these kids and they\u2019re good examples, and I would say they definitely leave a lasting impression on my kids,\u201d Jessie said.<\/p>\n<p>She conceded that she is very busy, saying \u201cIt takes a village.\u201d She added that they have stayed in touch with players they\u2019ve hosted previously, and some have returned to visit.<\/p>\n<p>SoCal Renegades coach Si Pettrow spoke with the <em id=\"emphasis-e570fc1a3d1039acb7098924f3164542\">Tri-City record<\/em> about what makes the Connie Mack World Series different from other events.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt really is the way the town treats these kids. We\u2019ve traveled to a lot of tournaments, and by far, this is the one where you\u2019re really treated like a part of the family. The kids have an instant family from the moment they arrive in Farmington, and those relationships last a lifetime.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=6c3e9da3-9ecb-528d-9087-9da43d27f4b3&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" alt=\"Umpire Albert Boognal, who played in a previous Connie Mack World Series, shows his stripes as a World Series umpire. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">Umpire Albert Boognal, who played in a previous Connie Mack World Series, shows his stripes as a World Series umpire. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span><span class=\"credit\">Jerry McBride<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><p>Albuquerque Baseball Academy coach Tim Campos said he was glad to be representing New Mexico in the series.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt really is an ideal situation where we have the best players from across the state on this team. I\u2019m really happy with the talent that\u2019s grown up and played with and against each other in high school and at the amateur level and have a chance to play in this event.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gene Trujillo will be playing first base for Albuquerque Baseball Academy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve grown up and competed with these guys over the years, and there\u2019s nothing better than being able to come together one more time for a chance to represent ourselves and the state,\u201d Trujillo said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got a lot of talent on this roster from all around the state, and we\u2019ve really found a good chemistry on the field.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Other World Series teams include Albuquerque Baseball Academy; Colton Nighhawks from Irvine, California; D-BAT United of Dallas; Dallas Tigers; Dulin\u2019s Dodgers of Melissa, Texas; Midland Redskins of Midland, Ohio; Mississauga Tigers of Ontario, Canada; NOLA Cardinals from New Orleans; Oklahoma Express of Claremore; Southern California Renegades; and the Tulsa Sandlot of Oklahoma.<\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=2eb03fde-68fc-583b-b4fe-2d73a6207610&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" alt=\"The Friday morning parade kicked off the Connie Mack World Series, with pool play beginning later that day at Ricketts Park, Worley Field and Farmington Sport Complex. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">The Friday morning parade kicked off the Connie Mack World Series, with pool play beginning later that day at Ricketts Park, Worley Field and Farmington Sport Complex. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span><span class=\"credit\">Jerry McBride<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>57th World Series brings top talent from U.S. and Canada<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":32760,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[470,2127,28,2428,346],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-32759","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-baseball","tag-connie-mack-world-series","tag-headlines","tag-high-school-baseball","tag-sports"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32759","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32759"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32759\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":81919,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32759\/revisions\/81919"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32760"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32759"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32759"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32759"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=32759"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}