The Cotuit Kettleers have lots of opportunities for local businesses to sponsor part of the team. Whether that be bats and balls, foul balls, pitching changes, or advertisements in the yearbook, many companies jump on the occasion every year to support the Kettleers. This year, a new sponsorship opportunity has led to bountiful success-- sponsored dinners.

During the season, Cotuit feeds the two teams that come the farthest, Warehman and Chatham, and they do the same for the Ketts in return. In the past, host families have hosted potluck dinners, but often ran out of food due to how many people need to be fed-- players and interns for both teams, host families, and family members of players. Advertising manager Marci Hansen introduced the sponsored dinner idea last season.

“A lot of the teams feed their players after every single game. The host families in Cotuit are passionate about having dinner time with their players, and they didn’t like that business model,” said Hansen. “We decided to go out and see if members of the community would be interested in feeding the team on those two occasions and the response has been great. We’ve had Michelle Sylvia from Robert Paul Properties, she’s done it two years in a row, and this year Fraser Construction joined us.”

Michelle Sylvia, who handles rentals for Robert Paul Properties, was the first to sponsor a dinner last season. They wanted to sponsor something and Hansen introduced the idea, which they accepted.

“I’ve rented a fair amount to the people that their sons are playing and they want to be here to support their children,” said Sylvia. “Last year, I decided to get involved and we somehow ended up being very last minute, and the only way to do anything last year was to sponsor a dinner. I did it and we had a lot of fun. It was nice to meet all the sponsors and the players. This year, I wanted to make sure I did it again. Then I asked Paul if they wanted to join.”

Paul Grover handles the sales for Robert Paul Properties and decided to get involved for this season.

“Being in the real estate business, Michelle and I have seen over the years what a big part the Cape Cod Baseball League is to the people who live here, have houses here, and rent houses here,” said Grover. “Michelle rents some houses to people and one of their criteria is to walk to the Kettleers.”

The game they were going to serve for was supposed to be the Chatham game on July 13th with the 1995 Kettleers Championship team. The game was postponed due to weather, but the dinner and 1995 team ceremony happened at Cotuit Federated Church, meaning the dinner went on as planned.

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.