The Lancaster JetHawks will rebrand themselves as “El Viento de Lancaster” for 10 Friday night games this season, beginning with tonight’s California League game against the Modesto Nuts at The Hangar.
The JetHawks are among the participants in Minor League Baseball’s Copa de la Diversion program, a celebration of Hispanic culture and heritage and a tribute to Hispanic baseball fans throughout the nation begun in 2018.
“El Viento” is the Spanish translation of “The Wind,” the defining weather element of the Antelope Valley which has the power to turn doubles into home runs and home runs into outs.
The rebranding includes new uniforms and caps for the players to wear during games and new merchandise available for purchase by fans, including hats, shirts and blankets. The team has established a bilingual website to promote the rebranding, elvientodelancaster.com.
The Friday night games will include free activities for children music and dancing. There will be taco trucks, fruit carts and authentic decorations at Friday evening’s game, with the first 1,000 fans receiving a sugar skull bobblehead.
Other themes for the Friday night games include a michelada festival on April 26 for the cocktail where beer is mixed with lime juice, assorted sauces (often chili-based), spices, tomato juice, and chili peppers and a Cinco de Mayo celebration on May 3.
“The El Viento de Lancaster initiative is our way of celebrating the Hispanic population of the Antelope Valley,” said Tom Backemeyer, the executive vice president of the JetHawks, the Colorado Rockies Advanced Class A affiliate. “We want to truly make it a memorable experience for every fan that walks through our gates.”