Nutzy's Block Party Gives Families First Peek at CarMax Park

Families lined up at the front entrance plaza of CarMax Park on Saturday morning for Nutzy's Block Party, a free three-hour celebration that doubled as the public's first real look inside the Richmond Flying Squirrels' new home, exactly one month before the April 7 inaugural game.

The event ran from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the back of the Blue Lot, drawing crowds that local outlets characterized differently: CBS 6 reported "dozens of families" attended, while NBC affiliate WWBT put the figure at "hundreds." The Flying Squirrels have not released an official attendance count.

For most of the people who showed up, it was their first time setting foot inside CarMax Park. General Manager Anthony Oppermann said even with finishing work still underway, the reactions from the crowd were striking. "This will be the most significant milestone we get to celebrate with the community since we broke ground on CarMax Park two years ago," Oppermann said. "We're so excited for fans to experience the new Squirrels Nest Team Store and get their tickets for this historic inaugural season in our new home."

The grand opening of the Squirrels Nest Team Store was a centerpiece of the event, alongside food, live music, kids' activities, games, vendors, and autograph sessions with mascots Nutzy and Nutasha. Fans could also purchase single-game tickets for the home schedule on the spot, with one notable exception: Opening Night on April 7 is already sold out.

That sellout came through a ticket lottery the team implemented after demand overwhelmed normal sales. The lottery closed February 27 at 11:59 p.m., with winners notified by email the week of March 2, leaving no Opening Night tickets available by the time Saturday's block party began. Oppermann drew a direct line between that demand and the franchise's final years at The Diamond. "The way we finished the Diamond era with three straight sellouts, we really thought that's how we would start the era at CarMax Park, and it's been tremendous, the response from the community," he told CBS 6.

For fans who couldn't land an Opening Night ticket, Oppermann said the team plans to extend the celebration across the full first week. All six games from Tuesday, April 7 through Sunday will be treated as a weeklong event, with Wednesday through Sunday ticketholders getting a comparable experience to those who secured the opener.

Oppermann also framed what the new ballpark is designed to deliver regardless of where a fan sits. "No matter where you're at in the venue, you're going to feel connected to what's happening on the field, whether that be through a game environment or entertainment environment," he said.

The Flying Squirrels can be reached at (804) 359-3866 for ticket and event information.