One year of perfect attendance turned into two and the streak began to take shape. Chris is now working on his 14^(th) consecutive season without missing a game.

“It has been pretty great,” said Chris, who is 51 and was diagnosed with autism shortly before turning 3. “I enjoy the crack of the bat, the roar of the crowd, the concessions and spending time with my Dad.” 

“It’s the father-son connection that is special to me,” Tony said. “Chris really enjoys it and I enjoy spending time with him.”

Tony, Chris and Betsy, who attends between 10-15 games each year, have also made friends with fellow fans and Red Wings’ staff members.

“The nice thing about the ballpark is that it is a friendly place and I consider it safe,” said Tony, who has attended 1,086 consecutive games and 3,190 in his lifetime. “The people in our section know Chris, the ushers and the staff know him and they all look out for him.”

Take Taylor Duhart for example. Chris and Schembreck take turns buying each other an ice cream before each game when it is warm enough. Duhart, who is in her ninth season as a Red Wings’ employee, works at Ice Cream Plus has their order waiting for them each night before they reach the counter.  

“It’s kind of nice when I see them coming because I know what they are going to get every time,” Duhart said. “I’ll make sure that I have their stuff ready when they get here.

“It does make my day seeing them. It’s nice knowing that you are going to see the same people every day and do something that makes them happy.”

Rochester Redwings STH Attends 1,000th consecutive game and throws out the first pitch.