The National Baseball Hall of Fame has been closed since March 15th due to the COVID-19 health crisis. But one of the Mohawk Valley's big businesses will be back in business this Friday, June 26th.

Unless Governor Andrew Cuomo announces an unforeseen setback for phase four of New York's re-opening plan, the iconic museum in Cooperstown will open its doors and its cash registers soon. The National Baseball Hall of Fame generated nearly $4 million in profits for 2019, so it's playing catch-up ball for the 2020 season.

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The coronavirus setback will certainly sting the Hall's bottom line, especially considering the 2020 induction ceremony featuring New York Yankees' star Derek Jeter, has been postponed until 2021. The Jeter induction would have raked in a bundle--and might have broken the previous one-day attendance record of 82,000 in 2007 when Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken, Jr. were inducted.

In order to ensure the safety of employees and patrons, the Hall will adopt certain safety measures, including:

  • Face masks will be required and free masks will be available at the entrance.
  • Timed admission tickets will be available at baseballhall.org. Visitors can reserve a specific date and time to enter and museum capacity will be limited.
  • Rubber-tipped stylus pens will be issued for interaction with touch-screens.
  • Directional markers and hand sanitizing stations have been added.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame is only a 40-mile car ride from downtown Utica. It attracts over one-quarter of a million visitors each year. Admission ticket prices range from $25 for adults to only $15 for juniors.


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