Signal Mountain's Three Black Sheep, A Yarn Shoppe owner Diana Kessler is organizing a Stitch n' Pitch event at the Chattanooga Lookouts game against the Huntsville Stars Thursday, May 26 at 7 p.m.
Kessler will throw the game's first pitch as fans of baseball and the fiber arts look on from a special reserved section.
"The purpose is to bring more attention to the needle arts and bring media attention," said Kessler.
Tickets for the event are $6 and should be purchased through the yarn shop by May 12 in order to be seated with the group.
"We want to make a big splash," said needle-arts enthusiast Nancy Hall. "We want people to know we're not all little old ladies - we have fun, we drink beer and wine and we go to baseball games."
For $16, attendees get a ticket plus a red tote bag for everyone in their group featuring the Three Black Sheep logo provided at wholesale cost by Signal Mountain Sports Zone. Perfect for needle-arts projects, the bags help achieve the goal of drawing attention to the special section.
"A whole section of the stadium filled with big red bags makes a big impact," said Kessler.
The National Needle Arts Association hosts similar events at major and minor league baseball games across the country. Kessler, a former New Yorker, had previously attended a Stitch n' Pitch at a New York Mets game and she felt Chattanooga was ready for its own event.
"It's going to be a lot of fun, and you'll meet like-minded people who enjoy the fiber arts," she said.
Attendees are encouraged to bring a needle-arts project to work on during the game, but friends and family members who do not participate in the fiber arts are encouraged to attend as well to show their support for the industry.
Three Black Sheep, A Yarn Shoppe is at 1229 Taft Hwy. and can be reached at 886-9276.