Washington Nationals Homestand Highlights vs. Philadelphia Phillies (September 5-7) & Atlanta Braves (September 8-10)

The Washington Nationals will celebrate their loyal fans as part of Fan Appreciation Month throughout the final homestands of the regular season at Nationals Park. Fans will have the opportunity to win various prizes during every home game, including but not limited to Nationals merchandise, autographed items from Nationals players including baseballs and bats, the use of a suite for a 2015 regular season home game and a variety of giveaways from the team's corporate partners.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5

• Cholesterol Awareness Night Presented by AstraZeneca: Before the team opens their series with the Philadelphia Phillies, the Nationals will join AstraZeneca in providing fans with free cholesterol screenings, which will take place behind section 143 at the escalators from the time gates open at 4:30 p.m. through the third inning.

• Ian's Academy All-Stars: Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond will once again invite a group of scholar-athletes from the Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy - where Ian sits on the Board of Directors - to Nationals Park for an opportunity to enjoy a Nationals game. As part of this season-long program, the group will enjoy a private meet and greet with Ian as well as a special batting practice viewing and tickets complete with NatsBucks. For more information on the Youth Baseball Academy, visit nationalsacademy.org. 

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6

• Faith Day & FREE Postgame Concert featuring Lincoln Brewster: Celebrate Faith Day with the Nationals as they take on the Philadelphia Phillies. After the game, there will be a special performance from musician Lincoln Brewster. Lincoln Brewster's career, which includes collaborations with Steve Perry (Journey) and Michael W. Smith (Grammy Award-winning Christian music artist), has brought national acclaim to the California native. His 2007 hit "Everlasting God" climbed to #1 on Christian radio, while the ballad "Love the Lord" reached #3 on the charts. Lincoln's most recent album, Today is the Day, has been praised for its wide-range of musical rhythms and sounds. For more information and game tickets, visit nationals.com/faith.

• MedStar Health Youth Baseball Clinic: The Nationals will join MedStar Health in hosting the final MedStar Health Youth Baseball Clinic of the season to highlight the importance of being active and maintaining a healthy diet. Youth baseball and softball athletes from the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia will take part in the free clinic, which includes hands-on instruction from Nationals coaches. Following the clinic, a Nationals player will sign autographs for kids in attendance. Each participant will also receive lunch as well as four game tickets to the Sunday, September 7 game, courtesy of MedStar Health. Registration is closed to the public.

• Champions Day: The Nationals are proud to support youth baseball and softball in the D.C. area with the inaugural Champions Day program, which recognizes teams from across the region that have won championship titles. This is the second of two select days and is dedicated to local 12U teams that have won their state, regional or world championships. These teams will participate in a special Champions Day presentation during the pregame ceremony, and they will receive a DVD copy of the ceremony as well as a team picture. For more information, visit nationals.com/championsday.

• Span's Fans: Nationals center fielder Denard Span will host Span's Fans before the team takes the field. In its second year, Span's Fans is a season-long program that treats children from single-parent families to an evening of Nationals baseball. The group will enjoy a private meet and greet with Denard as well as special batting practice viewing and tickets complete with NatsBucks. Participants are selected in partnership with local single-parent family and youth baseball organizations.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7

• Kids Run the Show: The Nationals will host the 10th annual Kids Run the Show Day, presented by The Washington Post throughout their series finale against the Phillies. Children from across the D.C. area were invited to enter the annual contest in The Washington Post and The Express to win the opportunity to "Run the Show." Out of the hundreds of entries received, the Nationals selected 18 local children to learn about and experience the various gameday positions at Nationals Park, including junior in-game host, team photographer, public address announcer, junior in-game radio host and grounds crew member, among others.

• Pups in the Park #4: Nationals fans and their canine friends can enjoy the fourth Pups in the Park game from a designated Pup Zone in the Family Picnic Area. Featuring pet sitters and representatives from the Washington Humane Society, NOVA Dog Magazine and Fetch! Pet Care, owner tickets are available for $25, while dog tickets cost $10. All proceeds from the dog tickets sold will benefit the Washington Humane Society. To purchase tickets, visit nationals.com/pups or call 202.675.NATS(6287), while supplies last.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8

• Social Fan Event #4: The fourth and final Social Fan Event is going all out! Facebook, Twitter and Instagram followers, as well as fans using the "MLB.com At the Ballpark" app, all have the opportunity to win prizes when the Nationals host the division rival Braves. Enjoy a special ticket offer with added value to spend throughout Nationals Park and exclusive gameday experiences, only for our most loyal social media followers. For more information, follow our social media accounts or visit nationals.com/socialfan.

• DC Public Library Summer Reading Recognition:  This season the Nationals sponsored the DC Public Library's Summer Reading program which addressed the "summer slide" or the loss of learning that children experience during the summer months. Comprised of several age-specific initiatives, the program encouraged summer reading by offering local youth various baseball-related incentives, including tickets to select Nationals games for students ages 6 through 18 who reached their summer reading goals. Kids enrolled in the Summer Reading program - one from each of the 26 braches - will be recognized in pregame ceremonies.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10

• Patriotic Series Presented by SAIC - Heroes Day:  In honor and remembrance of the events that took place on September 11, 2001, the Nationals will host the final game of the 2014 Patriotic Series when the team wraps-up their series against the Atlanta Braves. The countless rescue, aid, military and law enforcement workers who serve our country every day will be honored as part of the observance, which will also include a variety of patriotic elements with various special guests in attendance. In addition, Nationals players will wear the team's patriotic uniforms featuring the stars and stripes Curly "W," and the first 20,000 fans to enter Nationals Park through ALL GATES will receive miniature American flags presented by SAIC. The pregame ceremony will include:

• Our nation's colors presented by Arlington County Fire Department Honor Guard
• Game ball delivery by Special Agent Chris Combs, FBI
• Lineup card delivery by Nazzic Keene, SAIC Sector President
• National Anthem will be performed by the U.S. Army Chorus and God Bless America will be performed by the U.S. Army Quartet
• Starting eight featuring representatives from Pentagon Memorial Fund
• Play ball announcement by Chief James Schwartz, Arlington County Fire Department

For more information or to purchase tickets for the 2014 Patriotic Series, visit nationals.com/patriotic. The Nationals also offer active duty military, veterans and first responders exclusive discounts all season long at nationals.com/military.

PARKING AND TRANSPORTATION

Visit nationals.com/waytogo for information on parking and additional routes to Nationals Park. To receive up-to-date WMATA service notifications on a mobile device, fans are encouraged to register for Alert DC at https://textalert.ema.dc.gov/. New for 2014, MLB.com's popular At The Ballpark mobile app now includes an integrated Metro Trip Planner. For game tickets and more information call 202.675.NATS(6287) or visit nationals.com/tickets.