Posted Under "Sports"

Baseball and beer tasting—sounds like fun, right? Grab a group of friends and come out to one (or the next two!) of the TinCaps tastings this season!

The tastings take place in the Treetops Rooftop Party Area at 4:05 p.m., prior to the start of the game. The first tasting will include a variety of delicious beers from local distributors: Five Star Distributing, AALCO Distributing and Mad Anthony Brewing Company.

An all-you-can-eat meal is part of this VIP package, with a menu including burgers, hot dogs, chicken wings, smoked ribs, grilled chicken breasts, apple crisp dessert and more. Food will be served beginning at 4:35 p.m. through the end of the seventh inning of the game.

The TinCaps beer tasting includes an all-you-can-eat meal, beer tastings from local distributors, and free memorabilia.

All fans attending the beer tasting receive a free, one-of-a-kind TinCaps mug, featuring the TinCaps’ Opening Day lineups from the past three seasons. They also have a chance to win door prizes throughout the night.

VIP tickets to the beer tasting are priced at $40. A limited number of tickets are available and all of the TinCaps’ tastings have sold out well in advance. To make reservations, call Tyler Baker at (260) 407-2802. Fans must be 21 years old or over to attend.

The remaining beer tastings will take place on June 12, and August 8.

Come and enjoy some great baseball and beer!

Ladies, do you enjoy playing tennis or golf? What about supporting a good cause while having fun with your girlfriends?

Then round up a doubles partner or a golf team of four for the Vera Bradley Classic!

Grab a girlfriend and head to the Vera Bradley Classic!

Vera Bradley will be holding its annual Vera Bradley classic on June 1, 2012 – June 4, 2012. This amateur women’s golf and tennis charity tournament is the largest in the country.

The tournament will kick off with a two day women’s doubles tennis competition at Wildwood Racquet Club. One hundred and fifty women will be competing in the tournament playing in various divisions.

Following the conclusion of the tennis tournament, there will be a Tennis Celebration Dinner. The celebration will include a cocktail party, dinner, a featured exhibition match and a silent auction to benefit the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer.

The golf tournaments will be held on Monday, June 4^th at the Fort Wayne Country Club and Sycamore Hills Golf Club. There will be a 9-hole and 18-hole tournament that players can choose to play in. Over 400 women will participate in the day.

Monday evening there will be a Golf Celebration Dinner. The night will include a cocktail party, dinner and a silent auction.

If you want to support the Foundation, but are not a tennis player or golfer you can still get involved!  There are opportunities to volunteer at the various events happening throughout the weekend, or you can also pay to attend one of the celebration dinners.

The 2011 Vera Bradley Classic raised $945,185 over the weekend, and since the tournament was established in 1994, it has raised more than $8.2 million dollars for breast cancer research.

 Event Schedule:

Women’s Doubles Tennis Tournament
Friday, June 1, 2012 – Saturday, June 2, 2012
Wildwood Racquet Club
508 North Hadley Road

• Match Play Schedule Depends on Player Rating

Tennis Celebration Dinner
Saturday, June 2, 2012 at 6:30pm
Wildwood Racquet Club
508 North Hadley Road

Women’s 9-Hole Golf Tournament
Monday, June 4, 2012
Fort Wayne Country Club
5521 Covington Road

• Morning Tournament begins at 7:30am
• Afternoon Tournament begins at 12:00pm

Women’s 18-Hole Golf Tournament
Monday, June 4, 2012
Sycamore Hills Golf Club
11836 Covington Road
Assigned Tee Times

Golf Celebration Dinner
Monday, June 4, 2012 at 6:00pm
Sycamore Hills Golf Club
11836 Covington Road

To register your team or learn more, visit www.verabradley.org/classic

It’s possible the biggest fan of Fort Wayne’s attractions doesn’t even live in the Summit City.

Linda Anderson of Rose Valley, Pennsylvania (located east of Philadelphia) has driven the 10 hours to Fort Wayne on seven different occasions during the past winter and spring season. She was not born here and does not have friends or relatives to visit. She is just a fan of Fort Wayne, especially the Komets.

Anderson is an Elder law attorney and a follower of the 2011 Stanley Cup winners, the Boston Bruins. During her studies about the team, she came across articles written by News-Sentinel sports writer Blake Sebring about the Fort Wayne Komets. Sebring’s comments that Fort Wayne was a supportive hockey town were enough to bring her to Fort Wayne to watch them play and see if what he said was true.

A passionate fan, Linda owns seven Komets bobbleheads!

“I knew this year was the Komets’ 60th anniversary as a team in Fort Wayne,” she said. “I wanted to see how an area of the country I thought was dedicated to football and basketball supported hockey.” She was not disappointed at the Komets’ performance on the ice and Fort Wayne’s love for the team.

During her seven trips, Anderson has been accompanied by friends and family. On each trip Anderson has developed an agenda, anxious to show off the city she has grown to love.

“What’s amazing about Fort Wayne is it doesn’t take a plane ticket to see some great things,” she said. “We’ve visited the Firefighters Museum, Stoner’s Magic Shop, Coney Island, Riegel’s Cigar shop, Karpeles Museum, Botanical Conservatory, Museum of Art. At the old Fort, re-enactors gave us a tour.”

As an attorney, she made an effort to tour the lovely Allen County Courthouse and plans to return when the courtrooms are open. Anderson stays at LaSalle Bed and Breakfast in downtown Fort Wayne.

Throughout her visits, Anderson has been impressed by the city’s hospitality. “It is a tight community,” she said. “You can’t turn around without running into people who know each other, but they have also completely welcomed us into the community. That’s so nice.”

She is already planning to return multiple times during the next hockey season. “I’m a fan of Bob Chase and plan to be here to celebrate his 60th year of announcing for the Komets,” she said.

The Fort Wayne Derby Girls (FWDG) have been bringing hard-hitting, charity-driven roller derby action to the Summit City since 2005. An all female, flat track roller derby league with over forty members, FWDG hosts its home bouts at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum from January through May each year. Though the 2012 season is coming to an end, there’s one more chance to see the ladies in action.

On Saturday and Sunday, May 12 and 13, the FWDG will host the 4^th Annual Spring Roll, featuring men’s and women’s roller derby. Though men’s roller derby hasn’t grown as quickly as women’s roller derby in the past decade (there are over 300 women’s leagues nationwide), it’s on the rise and Fort Wayne has become a central catalyst for it’s growth, hosting the first-ever men’s flat track roller derby tournament at Spring Roll in 2009. This year, 13 of the top ranking Men’s Roller Derby Association (MRDA) teams from around the country, including the MRDA 2011 Champions, New York Shock Exchange (NYSE), will compete. For a full list of teams, visit the Spring Roll website.

In addition to the men’s tournament, Spring Roll will feature Women’s Flat Track Derby Association game play on Saturday evening as the FWDG’s all-star team, the Bomb Squad, and the S.W.A.T team take on teams from Kalamazoo, MI. This will be the last time to see the FWDG in action at the Coliseum in 2012.

Action will begin at 10am both days of the tournament. Tickets are available at the Coliseum Box Office or at ticketmaster.com. Full day ticket packages are $18. Tickets for the FWDG bout on Saturday evening are $10.

The Fort Wayne Komets take home ice at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum TONIGHT: Tuesday, April 24^th, 2012 at 7:30pm for the Turner Conference Finals. This is the sixth game out of a seven game series, and the Komets must win to continue. The Komets have been battling the Missouri Mavericks (who are leading the series 3-2) for the past 10 days. So far, the teams have really made each other work during the last five games, with 1 OT and 1 double OT.

I can’t think of a better way to wrap up the 60^th anniversary of the Komets! So, be a part of history in the making; call your friends, grab your tickets, a cold beer and watch some Komet magic!

Need a place to celebrate after the game? Fort Wayne nightlife can accommodate any group, no matter what atmosphere you are looking for.