Many residents in the Hudson Valley looked to the sky Wednesday night and wondered what in the world is happening! Here's why.

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In early November, Hudson Valley Post reported the New York Yankees confirmed changes to their minor league affiliation structure and announced the club's High Single-A minor league team will now call the Hudson Valley home.

The Yankees also confirmed the team will continue to be called the Hudson Valley Renegades and play its home games at Dutchess Stadium in 2021.

In February, Dutchess County lawmakers approved a $1.44 million bond for upgrades at Dutchess Stadium.

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The approval allowed Dutchess County to purchase and install LED lighting at the park, bringing the decades-old park into compliance with Major League Baseball’s health and wellness standards, a requirement needed to secure the Yankees’ continued partnership with the Renegades for years to come, officials say.

Wednesday night lawmakers from Dutchess County went to Dutchess Stadium to see a demonstration of the new LED lighting system at the stadium.

Photos of the demonstration, including the stadium lit up with red lighting, are below. During the demonstration, some Hudson Valley residents were left in the dark, wondering what was going on!

"It looked like a scene out of War of the Worlds," one Hudson Valley post reader told us.


"I saw it on 84 ... so bright... I was like what is going on at the Dutch... UFO's?" another reader stated.

Hudson Valley Renegades President and General Manager Steve Gliner told us the new lights are more environmentally friendly and energy-efficient, adding the lights only shine directly onto the field.

"To clarify, our old lights were part of the original lighting from 1994 and would have needed to be replaced regardless of affiliation. The new lights are more environmentally friendly and energy-efficient, not to mention adhering to the quality standards in place at the professional level," Gliner said. "While they are certainly brighter, they are of course pointed towards the field of play and aren’t shining directly onto anything but the field."

Why Some In The Hudson Valley Thought Aliens Were Attacking Dutchess Stadium

This is the first of a series of resolutions totaling an estimated $10 million planned to make necessary improvements at the stadium, officials say.

Single-game tickets for the Hudson Valley Renegades 2021 season are on sale now.

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