IMAGE BY STEF HADIWIDJAJA
For 13 years running, Randy and Sue Freking have welcomed Cincinnatians to celebrate the upcoming Reds season at their annual Opening Day Eve party. What was once a bash for friends and family is now a community-wide jamboree; at $49 a ticket, hundreds (including former and current Reds players) come to the Moerlein Lager House’s event lawn for food and drinks, auctions, a raffle, music, and a fireworks show.
The party pays for itself these days with the help of generous donors and big-name sponsors, including Rob Pettit, CTI Clinical Trials, and WhatIfSports.com. The Frekings don’t see a penny of it, either—all proceeds from ticket sales go to the Reds Community Fund for children’s education. Last year, Randy says the party raised about $56,000, putting the 13-year total at nearly $500,000. By 2030, he hopes to have raised $1 million for the cause. “There’s really an emphasis on leadership, teamwork, and work ethic,” he says. “Those kinds of efforts will benefit the community in the long term.”
This year, the Opening Day Eve party’s theme is “Hustle in Peace,” honoring the life and legacy of late Reds legend Pete Rose. Partygoers should also look for Randy and nephew Grant Freking’s new book, The Big Red Machine’s Last Hurrah. The two share the story of the Reds’ exclusion from the 1981 playoffs and explore what they believe should have happened instead: a lawsuit to prevent the injustice, and the greatest World Series never played.
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