Kettleers dig in with sponsored dinners

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Art or Photo Credit: Zach Duenas (front) and other Kettleers players are served dinner during the 1995 championship team reunion dinner on July 13 at the Cotuit Federated Church. Photo by Dennis Theoharidis (Mass. College of Art & Design).

Fraser Construction hosted the sponsored dinner on July 19th against Wareham, with dinner happening after the game under the green tent behind home plate. Fraser has been a longtime sponsor for the Kettleers, often sponsoring bats and balls and advertisements in the yearbook. Owner Cory Varao heard about the sponsored dinner from board member and public address announcer Roy Reiss.

“We’ve sponsored bats and balls for a long as I can remember, before I purchased the company and before I even started working here,” said Varao. “We’ve been talking to Roy over the past couple years to try and do a little more. It sounded fun for both of us and the team, to interact with them and have some of the employees bring their kids to the game which they love.”

Varao said that he had a great time at the dinner, with his nephew and son able to get some autographs. He found the dinner to be beneficial for Frasier Construction.

“It puts our name out there and shows that we do give back to our community that we work in. I think that’s huge,” said Varao. “We try to do that in almost every town that we work in on Cape in general and there’s a lot of people that go to the Kettleers games, so it’s good exposure.”

Paul Grover also said that Robert Paul Properties has found success sponsoring the Kettleers. He went to games a lot as a kid and has taken his children and grandchildren to games as well.

“We all know it’s one of the best leagues in the country, so the baseball itself is as good as you’re gonna find anywhere. It’s such a part of Cape Cod,” said Grover. “We care about the whole league, the program, and the enjoyment that people get. That type of activity and outings, it's lost. There aren’t many places that have that. It’s important to support them and make sure that they’re thriving and financially stable. The kids that come through for generations that are playing, they’re really good solid people; role models to younger people in the community and the kids.”

“I think the people, the families that sponsor the kids, they put so much into it for the summer and we just wanted to show our appreciation for that,” said Sylvia. “We plan to keep doing them in the future, to support the team and families that take care of them.”

Cotuit agrees that the sponsored dinners are great for both parties involved and will continue to host them in the future.

“I think it’s a nice relief for the host families,” said Hansen. “The [players] and the interns love the great food that the sponsors have brought in. I think they all like the opportunity to learn about what each other does, so a baseball player might want to know what a realtor does or a builder does.”

If you are interested in hosting a sponsored dinner for the 2025 season, contact advertising manager Marci Hansen.

Thumbnail image by Dennis Theoharidis.