In honor of the official treat of Maine, the Portland Sea Dogs (Class AA; Eastern League) will play as the Maine Whoopie Pies on June 21. The Whoopie Pies will host the Reading Fightin Phils at Hadlock Field that evening, with first pitch at 7:00.
The Maine Whoopie Pies have partnered with Wicked Whoopies and the Maine Whoopie Pie Festival, which takes place on Saturday, June 22nd in Dover-Foxcroft, Maine, to create Maine Whoopie Pie Weekend. The Maine Whoopie Festival mascot; “Sweetie Pie” will be at Hadlock Field for the June 21st game, where fans will have the opportunity to win complimentary passes to the Maine Whoopie Pie Festival.
To bring the night to life, the team will wear specialty hats and jerseys, featuring the Maine Whoopie Pies logo: a fierce Whoopie Pie character at-bat. This primary logo adorns the front of the hats and the left sleeves of the jerseys. The alternate logo depicts a whoopie pie in the shape of the state of Maine and is highlighted on the side of the caps and the left sleeves of the jerseys. Sandwiched chocolate brown and white panels on the hats create a whoopie pie effect. The jerseys echo this wearable-whoopie effect with brown front and backs, with white panels sandwiched on the sides. “Whoopie Pies” is spelled loud and proud across the front of each jersey, in creamy white lettering.
Maine Whoopie Pies merchandise including on-field hats, adjustable hats, and various t-shirts are now available for sale at the Hadlock Field Souvenir Store or online at whoopiepiesofmaine.com.
The June 21st game will feature a pregame whoopie pie eating contest and whoopie pie themed in-game promotions. And of course, there will be plenty of whoopie pies from Wicked Whoopies for fans to enjoy.
A whoopie pie is two round chocolate cake-like cookies with a sweet, creamy filling or frosting sandwiched between them. Many places claim to be the birthplace of the whoopie pie including Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. The whoopie pie has been a favorite of Mainers for nearly a century, with the first whoopie pie in Maine being served by Labadie’s Bakery in Lewiston in 1925. The Maine State Legislature named the whoopie pie the official state treat in 2011. The world’s largest whoopie pie, weighing over 1,000 pounds, was made in South Portland in 2011.
In recent years, many Minor League teams have temporarily adopted the identity of food items that are unique or popular in their region. Some of the teams have included the Fresno Tacos (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League), Pawtucket Hot Wieners (Class AAA; International League), and Trenton Pork Rolls (Class AA; Eastern League).
In 2017, the Reading Fightin Phils became the Reading Whoopies, as many people claim that the whoopie pie originated in Pennsylvania’s Americana Region. So, when the Maine Whoopie Pies take on Reading on June 21st at Hadlock Field they’ll be playing for more than just an Eastern League win…they’ll be playing for the right to claim the whoopie pie for their region (at least for the day).