“Just so happy to have the date,” Luken said. “Just such a relief. We can plan. We can move forward. We can book people. We can get press releases, who’s going to be in the parade.”
While the regular season starts April 7, fans will flood Great American Ballpark on April 12 for the Reds’ home opener against the Cleveland Guardians. Luken said he hopes around 120 organizations will take part in this year’s parade, the first since 2019.
“Works out great for us at the market,” Luken said. “Could’ve been on a Friday, would’ve been hard for us with the amount of business we do on the weekend. Actually, this is best-case scenario. It came through for us.”
For fans like Amberley native Gary Schlegel, the end of the lockout brings a new season with new opportunities.
“To me, it’s the first day of spring in Cincinnati — no matter what day it is,” Schlegel said.
Businesses near the ballpark have been patiently waiting as well, hopeful the MLB could make a deal and salvage its 162-game regular season.
“Big weight off our shoulders,” said Victor Visciani, manager of Holy Grail Tavern & Grille. “I think everyone was starting to get a little worried. They were talking about mid-April, which is what’s happening right now. Still a lot better than going any further, which is what we started to worry about right now.”
Visciani said Opening Day is the “biggest day of the year.”
“(We) prepare the most, staff the most, we’re the most excited,” Visciani said. “It’s our big day for sure.”
Technically, the Reds will not be in Cincinnati on Opening Day April 7, marking only the second time the team will start the season on the road. Instead, they will be playing in Atlanta.
The last time they played away on Opening Day was in 1990, the year the Reds won the World Series.
Cincinnati’s home opener is currently scheduled for 6:40 p.m. Luken said he is hoping to get first pitch moved up to around 4 p.m. If that happens, the parade will start at noon like usual.
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