For their twentieth anniversary, Scott and Donna Stanley went on a cruise in April, and though it was a lot of fun, their daughter and one of her friends were along for the ride. Fun, but it wasn’t exactly a romantic getaway. They’d been talking about taking a weekend, just the two of them, when Donna found out she won the Salem Red Sox’s Father’s Day Boston trip package.

She originally bought the tickets to give her father, Tommy Robinson, a chance to win the Father’s Day trip. Her family and friends took up a collection to buy a bunch of chances for the trip – worth almost $2,500. But when her dad couldn’t go (because he happened to be on a cruise to New England) he gave Donna and Tim the tickets.

They were flown into Boston on Friday night, June 26, and they stayed in and near Fenway Stadium until the end of the game that Sunday night, soaking in three games, a VIP tour of the entire ballpark (including inside and on top of the Green Monster), a pregame reception, visits to batting practice, and all kinds of fun experiences.

“They kept us busy, I tell you – it was great,” Donna said. That Friday, fog made their flight late.

But they got there for one of the best parts – Jason Bay hit a homerun right over their heads and over the Green Monster just as they were sitting down in their seats on the third baseline under the Coca-Cola sign.

There was one fan who managed to have a better day than they did – a 10- to 12-year-old decked out in Boston Red Sox gear and with a Chuck Liddell haircut got some Sox signatures – but then Liddell was there with some other ultimate fighters. The kid got his scalp signed!

“My favorite part was just being part of the crowd up there … it’s just addicting to be in that atmosphere,” said Scott.

“Between innings and stuff the fans really get into what’s going on,” Donna said. They were fascinated by the crowd involvement in things like the giant wave, the singing – and they even stood up at the first Salem Red Sox game and loudly sang (as is the Boston Sox tradition). And though their daughter was rightfully embarrassed, they want the rest of the Salem fans to step it up and have some fun at the Salem ballpark.

“We’ve gotta get the ‘Sweet Caroline’ thing going here,” Scott said.

The Salem Red Sox are starting another promotion to win a trip very similar to what the Stanleys won.

Two ways to get an entry in: buying a “back to school” package for $50 that comes with eight Salem game tickets good for this season and for 2010′s, a t-shirt and a cooler; or by writing an essay about “how I spent my summer vacation.”