PORTLAND – Thousands of Red Sox fans turned out in Portland on Friday, carrying signs, pennants, banners and even mistletoe to show their appreciation to their baseball team.

Four Red Sox players, joined by minority owner and Vice Chairman Les Otten, met them in Monument Square carrying something they’d waited 86 years to see – the World Series trophy.

An estimated 8,000 fans, some of whom had been waiting for hours, greeted players Mark Bellhorn, Doug Mirabelli, Kevin Youkilis and Lenny DiNardo as they arrived in front of One City Center following a brief “Rolling Rally” down Congress Street.

“I know you guys waited a long time for this, 86 years I guess,” said Bellhorn, Boston’s second baseman. “It’s just a great feeling for me to bring this trophy to Red Sox fans everywhere. Hopefully, this is the first of many.”

“It’s great just to be back,” said Youkillis, Boston’s third baseman, and along with DiNardo, a former Portland Sea Dog. “We’re coming back to show off the World Series trophy, which is the best reason I can think of to come back to Portland.”

The players arrived about a half-hour later than scheduled, but that didn’t disappoint the throngs of red-and-blue clad faithful who stood through late-afternoon temperatures that quickly dropped from the mid-30s to below freezing by the end of the rally.

“I skipped school to come,” said Jamie Ruginski, a 13-year-old from Buxton who spends his summers in Rangeley. “I want to see Doug Mirabelli because I’m a catcher and he is, too.”

Karen Hilton of Oakland arrived in Monument Square at 7:30 a.m. so she could have a front-row spot and wave a “Kiss Me Bellhorn” sign written in seasonal green and red lettering with mistletoe hanging from it.

“We went to the parade in Boston, too. We got there at three in the morning, so this is minor,” said Hilton, who waited with her 11-year-old daughter Kinsey and a couple of friends. “We were on the other side of the road when the Duck Boat carrying Bellhorn in the Boston parade went by, so I had to come here.”

The trophy, but not the players, will be touring much of the state today, including stops at The Colisee in Lewiston from 4 to 5:30 p.m., at Telstar High School in Bethel from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. and at the Phoenix House and Well in Newry from 7:30 to 10 p.m. Otten, former owner of Sunday River Ski Area in Newry, owns the Phoenix House and Well.

Otten has been credited with adding the stop in Lewiston to the trophy’s itinerary after local officials complained about the Twin Cities being passed over when the trip was first announced.

“There’s a lot of history in Lewiston with the Red Sox,’ Otten said, noting that the last manager to lead Boston to back-to-back world championships was Lewiston Bill Carrigan. “Sometimes it’s important to remember that Maine is more than just Portland.”

“We’re going up to Presque Isle in the morning,” he added. “We’re going to go to Bangor, to Augusta, to Lewiston, to Bethel and we’re going to end up in Newry. My apologies to Caribou. Maybe next time.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.