Rebecca Ezrin
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Thousands of San Francisco Giants fans attended the Giants World Series Trophy Tour in downtown San Luis Obispo on Thursday night.
Fans waited in line for hours in order to view and take pictures with the three World Series trophies from the 2010, 2012 and 2014 seasons.
The viewing of the trophies was free thanks to Bank of America’s co-sponsorship, with a recommended $2 donation per person to support the San Luis Obispo Junior Giants program.
The San Luis Obispo Downtown Association and Junior Giants put on the event, which raised just over $1,000, according to The Downtown Deliver-E. The money will go to the SLO City Parks and Recreation Junior Giants program.
The event drew such a crowd that the time slot, which was originally from 5-7 p.m., was extended by an hour, and even then some fans were still cut off.
“The crowds are on average 800 to 1,000 people. We try to get everyone in as soon as possible. If the crowd is organized, we may get everyone, but usually not,” fan photographer Francisco Hernandez said, who was touring around with the trophies.
The event was held in Davidson’s Furniture & Interiors on Higuera Street, which put on the same showcase when the Giants won their last championship back in 2012.
“It’s a great feeling to give back to the community and have them enjoy that the Giants have won three World Series,” said Randy Salas, who co-owns Davidson’s Furniture & Interiors.
Junior Giants Baseball, which is a flagship program of the Giants Community Fund, is a free baseball program for children. The program, which is also presented by the Bank of America, includes thousands of children in 90 leagues.
The tour began at the Giants’ Triple-A team’s stadium in Sacramento on January 7 and concludes on April 13 in San Francisco. It stops in 37 different cities, most of which are in northern California.
“We saw in 2012 how powerful it was for us to create a trophy tour which not only allowed us to connect with our fans, but also with the more than 22,000 kids who participate in our Junior Giants baseball program. It’s an honor to have the opportunity to do so again,” Giants president and CEO Larry Baer said in a team media release at the start of the tour.