TEMECULA – The Opening Day Carnival for the Temecula Youth Baseball League (TYB) once again brought thousands of kids, parents, family members, and baseball fans to the Ronald Reagan Sports Park in Temecula on March 9-10.

"The weather couldn’t have been any better," said TYB treasurer Dawn Madera.

The league holds its picture day at the same time during the event each year, and according to Carnival Director Roger Langdon, "It is a great reason that the carnival truly holds its success, but the bounce houses, velcro walls, jousting rings, live music, raffle baskets, cake walks and food and baseball vendors make it a must-attend event."

This year, TYB brought in a sound stage which was sponsored by local radio station 101.3 The Mix, and for the second year in a row, attendees were treated to the sounds of local band Fly by Night who brought a great young feel to the crowd.

As the day proceeded, Oncore Dance Academy performed and Thunder from the Lake Elsinore Storm joined in to show off his dancing skills. Towards the latter part of the day a special appearance was made by a great new act to the area, a Huey Lewis and the News tribute band who call themselves the Heart of Rock and Roll, capped off the live music.

During the day, a couple of very special dedications also took place. The first involved a plaque presentation from Gretchen and Fred Fowler to Mayor Mike Naggar and the City of Temecula thanking them for the continued support of the league’s Fowler Field renovation projects that will be taking place for years to come at the North/South Fields of the Ronald Reagan Sports Park.

Gretchen and Fred Fowler are the parents of Anthony Fowler who was the boy that lost his life last year in a tragic accident at Long Canyon Park in the dirt wash area just before the start of the 2012 season. The plaque will be mounted outside the snack bar at the Fowler Field location where the league and the City of Temecula has made it a point to continue to honor Anthony’s memory for as long as the fields exist.

"We are so honored to be honored," said Mayor Mike Naggar. "The Fowler family has shown tremendous strength throughout the entirety of this situation and for them to jump on a plane from Florida and be here for yet another Opening Day for the league where Anthony played the sport he loved the most, it truly shows us all that there is always a way to turn a negative into a positive, no matter what."

The second presentation was made in the form of a $1700 check from the league to Michelle’s Place, a local breast cancer awareness resource center in Temecula. Every year the league goes pink for Mother’s Day weekend as a part of their "Sluggers for a Cure" campaign. The teams wear pink socks, pink wrist bands, and some even have pink jerseys made.

For the second year in a row, TYB has donated all the funds raised over the weekend to Michelle’s Place. Kim Goodnough and Dina Duran, who are both representatives for the resource center, accepted the check.

The 2013 spring season got underway for more than 1500 players in the first week of March and will continue through the end of May with post-season play beginning in June.

If you would like to find out more about the Temecula Youth Baseball PONY organization, visit them online at

www.temeculapony.com.