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Community Corner

1973: Padres Promotional Giveaways Prompt Fans to Hit the Ballpark

This story and more as we look back at what was happening in your community, this week in 1973.

According to the Spring Valley Bulletin, here's what was happening this week in 1973:

 

– Two promising boxers from San Diego were slated to fight on June 22 at the San Diego Coliseum in two 10-round events. Art Hafey, a featherweight boxer, was scheduled to take on Ricardo Garcia from Mexico and David Love, a middleweight boxer, was scheduled to fight Marco Gerardo from Dulzura.

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Born in Nova Scotia, 21-year-old Hafey had been training with Burke Emery, a former lightweight champion of Canada. Hafey scored a huge win at a fight April 19 at the Forum in Los Angeles, when he defeated the number eight world bantamweight Famoso Gomez of Mexico. At the time Hafey had won 25 matches (with 15 knockouts) and lost only one.

Love had been voted Ring’s Prospect for the month of April 1973 and had 17 wins and three losses. Promoter Mickey Davies announced that the general admission tickets for the June 22 fight would be sold at half-price for $1.50. Reserved seats cost $6 and ringside seats cost $7.50.

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– The San Diego Padres offered free helmets to attract children to their opening season. "Helmet Night" was held to bring attention to the upcoming string of nine home games that started the following week. They were distributed to the first 15,000 boys and girls under age 14 who attended the doubleheader on June 14. The helmets had just been redesigned and included “flashy” brown and gold features.

Other fan promotions were held as well. Air California was set to provide 10 sets of round trip tickets to the Bay Area for a few lucky fans for the Tuesday, June 19th game. For the game on Wednesday the 20th employees of Sears were honored and a Disneyland character was going to take part in a pre-game parade show. The only mid-week day game of the entire season was slated to be played on Thursday, June 21. To celebrate, “all youngsters” were to be admitted to the game for just 50 cents.

Friday, June 22 a special pre-game show was planned and sponsored by Pacific Telephone Company, and featured a special “beep ball” that allowed blind children to play in an exhibition game. 14 San Diego-area blind or partially blind children were going to play in the game as a special pre-show to the Padres game.

 

– The Spring Valley Library planned to put on a series of free film showings starting June 21. Children who were enrolled in the library’s children’s summer program were awarded 1 point for each movie that they attended.

“Bear Country,” a Disney movie that documented the life cycles of American Black Bears and animals of the Rocky Mountain Region was shown on June 21. On July 12,  the library planned to show “The Red Balloon,” a story about a young boy who befriends a balloon, which then takes on a life of its own! On Thursday, August 22 four films were scheduled to play: “Curious George,” “Hopscotch,” “Rosie’s Walk,” and “Fine Feathers.”

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