Long Beach Little League marked its opening weekend after a long year of restrictions due to COVID-19.
“Everyone’s so happy to be back,” Steve Klaus, board president of the league, said Sunday.
Though games had already started, Sunday’s ceremonies at Stearns Champions Park in East Long Beach included a guest appearance from the Long Beach Fire Department, which raised an American flag from a ladder truck for the National Anthem.
The city, county and state have loosened coronavirus restrictions over the past several weeks as cases of COVID-19 continue to decline.
Some restrictions still apply, Klaus said, such as requiring the coaches to wear masks and a condensed game schedule.
But otherwise: “When you’re in the game, it feels very normal,” he said.
Long Beach resident Alfonso Montes watched his 12-year-old’s game under a shaded area, cheering his son’s team on.
“We still gotta wear our masks here and there—that’s the annoying park for me—but it feels great,” he said.
Long Beach Little League has been around for 60 years.