It was summed up best by a man who told his son that if he wanted to get a seat for the next game, they would have to leave after the first pitch was thrown at the game they came an hour early to see.
While the crowds this year cannot compare to last year, an average of 30,000 to 35,000 people have attended the Little League World Series every day so far this year, said Steve Barr, Little League director of media relations.
"We're on track with a normal year," Barr said.
Still, seats in the stadium and on the grassy hills fill up quickly. For locals like David Alexander, of South Williamsport, it is easy to put a chair out early, go home and come back in time to watch the game.
With 30 years of experience attending the Series, he knew that the best way to be comfortable if sitting on the hill at Lamade Stadium is to cut part of the backs off the chair so they can rest against the angle of the hill.
When he arrived around 10 a.m. Sunday, there were not many seats placed yet, so he could choose wherever he wanted, choosing the sit behind first base, which allowed for easy access to leave.
In his time attending, he has seen the crowds grow overall. About 15 years ago, he could easily bring his son in a stroller and get a seat in the stadium. But for now, the hill works.
"It's not like someone's head is in your way," Alexander said.
Despite how close he lives to the stadium, he said he has not seen many people he knows attending the Series, even though some people come thousands of miles to attend.
While not quite that far away, Tracy Fernandez, of Bloomfield, N.J., drove to South Williamsport Sunday for a surprise birthday gift for her son. It was a three-hour drive, but they arrived at 11 a.m., in time to get a seat in the stadium for the noon game.
Throughout the day, the family moved their spot from the hill behind first base for the 2 p.m. game to the hill behind second base for the 7 p.m. game. She watched the chairs and their possessions two hours before the game began.
This was the first time her family attended the Series, but probably not the last, as she already made plans for next year. At the top of the list included bringing chairs similar to Alexander's so they could sit more comfortably, and bringing cardboard boxes for the children to slide down the hill. Even though they always watch the Series on television, they had forgotten the boxes.
"Now we know," Fernandez said.
Throughout the day, Fernandez said she crossed her fingers and hoped it would not rain. Attendance often is based off weather, Barr said.
"I don't think weather affected (the games) so far," Barr said. "Weather plays a big factor on the weekend."
Many people make the Series part of their plans and when it rains, people sometimes change their minds about whether they should come.
If he had to pick, he said he prefers the bad weather to come during the week when people generally are working.
"But we don't control it," he said.
If the numbers keep up, Barr said between 300,000 to 350,000 will watch the games throughout the Series, compared to 414,000 last year.
"The numbers are skewed by Clinton County being a local team," Barr said.
A "Keystone Factor" was predicted for this year that some of the numerous people who attended last year's games to return this year, but Barr said he has not noticed a difference and that it would be hard to keep track.
"We would always hope it to be a factor," he said. "It would be easier for someone who lives locally."
Although in the case of Fernandez, just because a fan isn't local, doesn't mean they won't come back again.
