Baraboo family is Brewers’ poster family

BARABOO, Wis. (AP) - The Milwaukee Brewers are in the midst of an eight-game homestand, which means the Mjeldes’ phones will be buzzing.

Before every game at Miller Park, a picture of the Mjeldes - Kyle, Mary and daughter Evelyn - appears on the stadium’s giant video board. Friends in the stands instantly reach out … and soon find the Mjeldes aren’t at the game.

“I get texts from people saying, ’Hey, you’re here!’” said Mary, a teacher at Jack Young Middle School.

“One of us gets a text or Facebook message every home game,” added Kyle, a hearth professional at the family business, Top Hat Heating and Cooling.

Not everyone in the Mjeldes’ circle of friends realizes the Baraboo family’s picture has appeared before every game for three seasons. Their image is used to encourage fans to participate in the Sign of the Game promotion and appears before the ceremonial first pitches are thrown.

Brewers staff took the picture at a playoff game in 2011, when Evelyn was 2 months old. All three Mjeldes appear in Brewers gear, holding a sign. At the next season’s home opener, the Mjeldes made the scoreboard, 10 times larger than life. And they’ve appeared at every home contest since, without so much as smooching for the Kiss Cam . or even attending the game.

“You always hope to be up on the big screen,” Mary told the Baraboo News Republic (https://bit.ly/1hemEkh). “To have your picture up there when you’re not even there is pretty sweet.”

The Mjeldes, who attend two or three games a year, first saw the family photo with their own eyes in spring 2012. Whether they’re in the stands or not, they continue to hear from friends at Miller Park.

“That first year was cool,” Kyle said.

“It still is pretty cool,” Mary added.

With Evelyn approaching her third birthday and Mary due to deliver another baby in September, the Mjeldes figure it’s time for a re-shoot.

“I thought it’d be fun to update the picture,” Mary said, noting with a smile, “If they want to update the photo, we’d be happy to take a couple tickets and pose again.”

In the meantime, they’ll continue to enjoy the attention that goes with being the Brewers’ poster family.

“They haven’t found a better-looking family yet,” Kyle said with a grin.

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Information from: Baraboo News Republic, https://www.wiscnews.com/bnr