DETROIT -- The annual preseason celebration of baseball known as TigerFest is moving to the summertime, the Detroit Tigers announced Friday.

Instead of a large event at Comerica Park this month, the team will hold autograph sessions for fans at various sites around downtown Detroit on Jan. 25 at the conclusion of its annual winter caravan.

TigerFest has long been a way for the team to stoke enthusiasm for the coming year in the dead of winter. But attendance appeared to have dwindled along with the team’s fortunes. Last year’s 24th annual event was also burdened by frigid temperatures.

But some fans were upset about the end of a winter tradition. The changes were announced late on a Friday afternoon, weeks after TigerFest tickets normally go on sale.

Zack VanNieuwenhze, a die-hard Detroit Tigers fan from Adrian, said he heard about TigerFest’s possible demise after talking to a ticket sales rep. VanNieuwenhze wanted to know if season tickets included front-of-line access for TigerFest. The agent told him that TigerFest’s future was in doubt.

“It’s an event that has been a yearly staple which gets us ready for the season,” VanNieuwenhze said. “There is little to get excited about these days in regards to the Tigers, so taking away a fan event under a cloak of secrecy is upsetting."

Other fans were more supportive of the change.

Thoughts on TigerFest? — Evan Woodbery (@evanwoodbery) January 3, 2020

The Tigers emphasized that players will still be coming north for the annual winter caravan. And the club said that a summer TigerFest would allow fans to access the entire stadium rather than be huddled only in areas that are protected from the cold. In its release, the team said the changes were made "based on fan feedback.”

“We’re very excited to bring new and fresh experiences to fans as we transition TigerFest from a winter to summer event,” said Ellen Zeringue, the team’s vice president of a marketing, in the release. “By moving TigerFest to the summer, fans will have brand new experiences that include access to the field, more seasonable weather and interactive games and activities that we simply can’t provide in January.”

The team did not release a date for the summer TigerFest.

The annual winter caravan is from January 22-24 with autograph signings on Jan. 25 at various locations in the District Detroit area of downtown. The team said further details about caravan stops and autograph-signing locations would be released later.

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