We all know the challenges that Orange County, California and the world have faced over the past year and as we continue to discuss mask mandates, vaccinations, and social protocol it sure is nice to have moments of normalcy. You can find them all over, but this year the OC Auto Group wanted to create something special to thank all of our team members for their hard work amid these difficult times.
Our owner, leader and friend John Patterson organized an outing for team members from all four OC auto team stores to see the Anaheim Angels host the Colorado Rockies. As pictures rolled in from the game, this blog writer couldn’t help but get emotional. Seeing friends and family from Tustin Mazda, Huntington Beach Mazda, Tustin Hyundai and Mission Viejo Acura enjoy the simple pleasure of a night at the ball park got me all sentimental.
I grew up going to the ballpark with my dad, I still have the first fly ball I caught as a kid and I still bring my mitt to games hoping for the chance at another catch in the stands. The feeling of community, family and rooting for your team is like nothing else and I couldn’t help but hear this quote from the movie Field of Dreams in my head…
“Ray, people will come Ray. They’ll come to Iowa for reasons they can’t even fathom. They’ll turn up your driveway not knowing for sure why they’re doing it. They’ll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past. Of course, we won’t mind if you look around, you’ll say. It’s only $20 per person. They’ll pass over the money without even thinking about it: for it is money they have and peace they lack. And they’ll walk out to the bleachers; sit in shirtsleeves on a perfect afternoon. They’ll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they’ll watch the game and it’ll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick they’ll have to brush them away from their faces. People will come Ray. The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it’s a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh… people will come Ray. People will most definitely come.” – Terrance Mann, Field of Dreams
The OC Auto team came from Tustin, Huntington Beach, Mission Viejo, Long Beach, Anaheim and Irvine. They are from all over Orange County, but they all sat together along the same baseline and created memories, “memories so thick they will have to brush them away from their faces!”
Huntington Beach Mazda’s General Manager Luis Torres even had to get another hot dog to “quality test” it for all the kids!
- Official Hot Dog Inspector Luis Torres
While Chance from Tustin Mazda couldn’t contain his excitement from winning one of many baseball bingo gift cards!
-This is Chance’s excited face!
- And Even More Excited, trust us!!
Along with many more great memories from a very fun night!
John Patterson, along with all the OC Auto Team members, support many local events and charities. Most recently those have included DiDi Hirsch’s Mental Health Awareness Month, The Orange County Rescue Mission’s Christmas in July, and the Orange County Ronald McDonald House Rock the Socks event. We love these great local charities, and our community as a whole, and when we see the joy these events bring it makes us want to do more. We saw that same joy on the face of Zain, our Mission Viejo Acura team member Samantha Taylor’s son, while he enjoyed his first night at the ballpark.
“What an awesome time we had together at the Angel’s game last night!” Samantha wrote me, “For my 7 year old son to see his first MLB game and see Shohei Ohtani hit a Home Run and watch the fireworks go off, what a night to remember!” she said.
- Mission Viejo Acura’s Samantha Taylor and Son Zain enjoying his first MLB game!
Is there anything better than that? What an awesome night at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, and what great memories we created with friends, family, and co-workers. At the OC Auto Team we pride ourselves on making our dealerships feel like home and we treat every customer like a guest in that home. Like a night at the ballpark, your car buying experience should be so positive you have to brush the great memories away from your face. When you come to see us you will find helpful people, a welcoming environment and an understanding that your car is just an extension of our dealership family. We hope that you visit Tustin Mazda, Huntington Beach Mazda, Tustin Hyundai or Mission Viejo Acura for your next car purchase and let us get to get to know you and your family.
We thank all of our friends, family, customers and customers to be for their support and friendship. Find us in Tustin, Huntington Beach, and Mission Viejo…we are near me, near you and near anyone in Orange County. It’s All About You and we look forward to serving you in the future.