Orioles to celebrate Kids' Opening Day on Sunday, April 1

The Orioles today announced plans for their fourth annual Kids' Opening Day presented by Weis Markets, which will be held Sunday, April 1, at Oriole Park at Camden Yards when the Orioles host the Minnesota Twins at 1:05 p.m. ET. The celebration will welcome children and their families to a new season of Orioles Baseball with many fun activities and unique gameday opportunities for several lucky kids throughout the day.

Kids' Opening Day will feature a kids-only Retro Oriole Bird Bank presented by Weis Markets, available to all fans ages 14 and under. Additionally, all fans ages 4-14 will be able to participate in a postgame Kids Run the Bases, presented by Weis Markets. It will be the first of 13 Sunday home games when kids can round the bases like their favorite Orioles.

Among the most exciting elements of Kids' Opening Day are opportunities for children ages 14 and under to be selected to participate in pregame experiences. On their way into the ballpark, 10 randomly selected young Orioles fans will receive an Orange Ticket for a memorable lifetime experience later that day: nine children will receive a ticket allowing them to take the field with the Orioles starters for the national anthem; and one child will help deliver the lineup card during the pregame exchange at home plate.

Sunday's Birdland Community Hero will be Liza Goldberg, a 10th grader from Columbia, Md., who has been doing remote sensing research at the NASA Goddard's Biospheric Sciences Lab since she was 14 years old. She is currently working to establish an Electronic Coastal Monitoring and Assessment Program (EcoMap) to map and monitor mangrove vulnerability in East Africa and around the world, and to encourage sustainable use of ecosystem resources for ecological and economic benefit.

Elle Walasavage, a 12-year-old from Schuylkill Haven, Pa. will perform both the national anthem and God Bless America during the seventh-inning stretch.

Additionally, children 14 and under are encouraged to enter a video-submission contest held on Instagram and Twitter, with the winner introducing the Orioles starting lineup over the ballpark public address system. Parents can submit their child's video beginning today through March 26 at 11:59 p.m. ET on Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #KidsOpeningDay. A sample script and additional information can be found at www.orioles.com/kids.

There will be plenty of in-game entertainment for children as well, including the "Tweet for a Bird Visit" promotion in which fans tweet for the chance to have the Oriole Bird deliver an Orioles prize pack to their seats. Children are also strongly encouraged to show their Orioles spirit with costumes and signs, and some of the most-supportive young fans will receive Orioles autographed items for their efforts. Additionally, face painters will be at the Kids' Corner near Gate C from the time gates open until approximately one hour after the scheduled first pitch.

Kids' Opening Day is one of many affordable, family-friendly experiences available at Oriole Park this season including the club's groundbreaking new program, "Kids Cheer Free," which invites parents to bring children ages 9 and younger to Oriole Park free of charge with purchase of an Upper Deck ticket. In addition to offering one of the most flexible food and beverage policies in the sports industry, the Orioles will now offer a variety of concessions sizes at new price points this season. The Orioles also host many events exclusively for children and families. Whether it is the popular postgame Kids Run the Bases event on Sundays, Student Nights on Fridays, "Friday Fireworks at America's Ballpark" from May through August, the Junior Orioles Dugout Club program, or one of the dozens of promotional giveaways for the whole family, the Orioles invite fans of all ages from all walks of life to Birdland to enjoy the magic of Orioles Baseball each summer. For more information on Kids' Opening Day, visit www.orioles.com/kids.