The Pittsburgh Pirates held its annual three day Pirate Fest at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center on Jan. 28 through Jan. 30. The Pirates made some changes to this year’s carnival event, as Friday which has traditionally had the lowest turnout was opened only to season ticket holders. The Pirates were rewarded, as Friday’s attendance was 3,500 people up 1,500 people from last year’s Friday session. The Friday session was available to Pirate season ticket holders only.Junior mechanical engineering major Kayla Thompson, was able to experience PirateFest for the first time.”I loved it,” Thompson said. “It is such a great atmosphere with great baseball fans.”PirateFest has many activities, including autograph signings, one for season ticket holders only and one for the general public, games and all kinds of interactive booths where you can record highlights, buy baseball cards and learn more about some of the Pirates’ minor league affiliates.”My favorite part was listening to the players Q & A, and getting one of my favorite player’s (Paul Maholm’s) autograph when he stopped and chatted with me,” Thompson said.The main draw of the event was the opportunity to meet new Pirates’ Manager Clint Hurdle and hear his philosophy for the team.Pirates Team President Frank Coonelly believes that Hurdle was a big hit with the fans.”Most in the media said that he stole the show,” Coonelly said. “Our fans saw his remarkable energy, passion, commitment, determination and genuineness.”Thompson admires Hurdle’s drive.”He wants to be here and wants us to win,” Thompson said. “You can really see and hear his passion shine through when he talks. [He is] definitely a great guy and a good fit to be here.”While Coonelly finds many aspects of PirateFest “enjoyable,” the question and answer sessions are his favorite.”We always want to know what is important to our fans, what concerns they have, and it gives us the opportunity to give them unfiltered information,” Coonelly said.”Being able to interact with the fans and [seeing] their passion for the Pirates gets you ready for the season,” Paul Maholm, starting pitcher, said in an electronic interview.The baseball season may technically end during the World Series, but for many Pirates fans, PirateFest marks the start of Pirates season. The season never ends for hardcore fans such as Thompson and President Coonelly.  “We started working on the 2011 season as soon as the last pitch was thrown in the 2010 season,” Coonelly said. “…We needed to take an honest assessment of the many things that went wrong and what went right in an effort to correct shortcomings and improve areas of strength.”Players admit the PirateFest is an exciting time for Pirates fans. It allows for fans to meet in one convenient location where they can socialize and run into many Pirates players, coaches and front office members—Team President, Coonelly; General Manager, Neal Huntington; Team Owner, Robert Nutting.Whether it is giving out goodies after the last Sunday game on the main stage, signing that extra autograph without complaining or showing parts of their personality in the question and answer sessions many players truly showed their appreciation to the fans that pay to see them play the game.Coonelly is very optimistic noted how important the coming season will be to the team’s success, stating that pitchers and catchers are only a couple of days away from reporting to Bradenton, Florida. He sees the season as a very important year as he wants to show others that the Pirates can compete.