A few favorite moments from our first Red Sox game at Fenway—what a night!

Tom and I recently attended a Business After Hours event hosted by the Newport Chamber of Commerce—this one held at Eastern Propane & Oil right here in Newport. We were representing the Newport Historical Society, and I was also there on behalf of the Richards Free Library, both proud chamber members.

As is tradition, attendees could toss a business card into a bucket for a prize drawing later in the evening. Tom ended up winning first prize: four tickets to see the Red Sox at Fenway Park! We could’ve opted for Celtics tickets, but baseball felt right. I’ve been to a few Mets games in New York and enjoy watching them on TV, though I wouldn’t call myself an avid fan.

Still, this was exciting. Neither of us had ever seen the Red Sox play—or been to Fenway. In fact, the last time I was in Boston (not counting airport runs) was about 40 years ago.

The game was on a Wednesday evening, the second in a three-game series against the Oakland Athletics. The A’s had edged out the Sox 2–1 the night before, so we were hoping for a better outcome.

We decided to stay overnight in Woburn to make the trip from Newport more manageable. An Uber got us to Fenway around 4 p.m., giving us time to soak in the atmosphere. What a vibe—being in the heart of Boston, surrounded by Sox fans in their gear, the smell of sausages sizzling from street vendors, and the buzz of anticipation in the air. I couldn’t resist buying a Red Sox hat. We grabbed food, found a spot to sit, and chatted with fellow fans.

Our seats were fantastic—up in Pavilion 5. Thank you, Eastern Propane & Oil! We were joined by Tom’s coworker and her mom, both die-hard Sox fans, which added to the fun.

The game itself was a nail-biter, stretching into 10 innings. The Sox pulled off a walk-off 5–4 win over the A’s, and the crowd went wild. What a night. Definitely something we’d love to do again.

Proof that civic engagement occasionally leads to extra innings and big grins!