Thousands of fans are hoping our weather holds out for the next two weeks. The CWS opening ceremonies start up Friday.
One of the CWS tents will be smokin' this season, with the look of a cool science experiment. At least, the cool part of that is true. It's ice cream courtesy of the help of a little nitrogen.
Mike Kudirka, owner of Nitro Ice Cream, says, "that pumps up this tube and when these two tubes meet, seven milliseconds later, we go from a liquid ice cream mix to a hard packed ice cream.”
It's a job that comes with sweet perks. "That's the most important part of this job, is sampling to make sure it's the quality we expect."
And if you walk by the Nitro ice cream tent, near the corner of 13th and C, during the College World Series, expect a free sample.
It’s a booth here for the first time, and owner Mike Kudirka is hoping to scoop up a large share of business. "With the hot weather and the kids, absolutely."
Despite this year's early controversy over a new fence and new rules for tailgaters, the series is gearing up. The teams are now all in town and the focus has turned to getting ready for the crowds, including first timers Eric Denniston and gang.
Denniston says, "it's pretty neat because you've seen pictures of it before but just to see it in person is a lot different."
Then there's Friday's big kick off - fan fest. Those crowds bring the inevitable traffic jams, so remember there are shuttles with pick-up locations including downtown, Westroads Mall, Crossroads Mall, the Bellevue Bakers on Galvin Road and the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs. For the shuttle pick up locations and schedule, click here.
The events planned for Friday start with team practices at Rosenblatt Stadium.
- TCU: 9 a.m.
- Florida State: 10 a.m.
- Florida: 11 a.m.
- UCLA: 12 p.m.
- Oklahoma: 1 p.m.
- South Carolina: 2 p.m.
- Arizona State: 3 p.m.
- Clemson: 4 p.m.
Autograph sessions follow 30 minutes after each hour-long practice session.
Fan fest runs from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. It includes interactive games, displays, a baseball skills clinic for children and the home run derby field. At 6 p.m., the "Road to Omaha Jam" concert begins. The opening ceremony begins at 8:45 p.m. and end with fireworks at 10 p.m.
