Navigators, Captain Wolf Band set to salute troops on Saturday

LYNN – Those who attend the North Shore Navigators? final regular season game on Saturday will have an opportunity to taste some of the finest chowder in the region, and at the same time help send one of our troops who has served or is serving in Iraq or Afghanistan on a four-day island vacation.John Nicoll of the Captain Wolf Band, who along with the other 17 members of “the largest rock and blues band east of the Mississippi,” gave away a trip to Bermuda last April to a combat veteran. They plan to do the same at the Navigators game versus the Newport Gulls at Fraser Field Saturday at 6 p.m.The Captain Wolf Band will perform at 4:30 p.m. and Captain Wolf Productions along with Kowloon Restaurant is sponsoring the North of Boston Chowderfest during the game to raise money for a four-day vacation for a member of the military who has served or is serving overseas.A $10 ticket includes the game and chowder from area restaurants, including The Blue Ox, Finz, the Three Cod Tavern, Periwinkles, the Marblehead Chowder Company, and others.In addition to the chowder, 100 percent of the proceeds from beer sales will be put toward the troop?s trip, along with one-third of the money made from a 50-50 raffle.?For the first trip, the band members gave out of their own pocket,” said Ray Thibault of Captain Wolf. “This time we thought it would be good to have some support, and the Navs have been very good to us.”Much of the game will be devoted to appreciating veterans and troops, with 1,000 free tickets for military personnel and their families. Lynn residents Sgt. Geoff Allen and Lt. Col. Steve Fernandez of the Massachusetts National Guard – who will both be in Afghanistan on the day of the game – have provided military vehicles for both kids and adults to sit in. There will also be a hospitality tent with interactive video games that will open at 3:30 p.m.The Army will be represented by a color guard during the National Anthem, sung by Captain Wolf veteran Maria Donetelly, who formerly sang for the Navigator?s predecessors, the North Shore Spirit and the Mad Dogs. The band manager, Kim Hill, plans to recite a patriotic poem she wrote for the occasion. Chowderfest T-shirts will also be tossed into the stands at the game.The name of the vacation winner will be drawn toward the end of the game, and at the conclusion of Chowderfest.Thibault expects a big turnout in support of the troops, and welcomes veterans for a classic night with a good bowl of chowder, an ice-cold beer and of course, baseball under the lights.