I've attended games at several Northwoods League stadiums and this one was the worst. First, the kid at the ticket booth didn't say one word to us during the transaction. We had vouchers for tickets. We walked up and handed them to him through the window. He proceeded to print us tickets and hand them to us. No "welcome". No "where would you like to sit". No "thank you" or enjoy the game". Alright, no big deal. Next we head to the gate where we went through a "TSA" style bag check. We bring a backpack with sweatshirts, sunscreen, can koozies, etc... Our daughter also has a small backpack with coloring books and things to keep her occupied when she gets tired of watching the game. Both bags were emptied item by item on the table and inspected. During this intrusive search they found some Skittles and Starburst that they said either had to be thrown away or taken back to the car but they wouldn't let them in the park. No other park we have been to has this type of search, especially when it appears their main objective is to prevent outside food from coming into the park.
Next, we TRY to find our seats. The layout of the seating is very confusing. We had to go under a set of grandstands to a set of stairs that took us to another section that our section was located behind. Turns out our "seats" were just general admission picnic tables on the roof of a building located down the third baseline. There are two rows of tables. We were lucky enough to snag a table in the front row because our sightlines weren't all that great. I can't imagine anyone sitting in the second row could see much of the field. There were only three of us so another group ended up sharing the table with us. Unfortunately this group had no interest in the game whatsoever and talked the entire game which was distracting and made it impossible to hear the stadium announcer. Which brings up the next point; the sound system was awful! There are 2 speakers, one on either side of the "press box", for the entire stadium (at least what I could see). I know there were no speakers anywhere near our seats.
So, we decided to go get food. The lines were HUGE at both tiny concession stands they have. It took 2 innings to get up to the counter (we're now in the fifth inning) and we're told from their entire menu all they have left is hot dogs and nachos. No pizza. No cheese/hamburgers. No brats. Okay, we'll take three hot dogs and an order of nachos. I also ordered my first beer of the night. We returned to our table and ate. Hot dogs were cold. Nachos were good. Beer was amazing as I really needed one at this point. :)
Then we decided to go to the kids' area. Total mud pit! It had rained quite a bit the day prior so everything was pure mud. There's a large grassy area just to the right they could have moved the inflatables to but they chose to keep them right in the center of the mud. I did like that they had a wristband for "all you can play" for $2. That was a welcome surprise as most places charge $1-$2 per activity. Here's the best part. They had three inflatables (bounce house, fast pitch game and an arch you walk under to enter the area) all plugged in to one outlet with extension cords running all over the place. At one point either someone tripped on a cord or the GFCI tripped causing the bounce house to deflate while the kids were in there. The operator finally figured out the problem after about two minutes and was able to get it working again.
After we were done in the kids' area we headed back to our seats. On the way I stopped to order another beer. Apparently they stop selling beer after the seventh inning. I questioned this and I received attitude from another worker who appeared to be a manager. I was told "That's standard in ballparks" or something similar. Come on! This isn't Miller Park! Outside of MLB ballparks, I had never experienced this. There were no signs posted. I couldn't tell you if an announcement was made since the sound system is so poor. Also, considering the line was 20+ minutes at the beginning of the game, you'd think they would extend sales. Maybe there's a city ordinance or something. Who knows! Just be aware if you plan on enjoying a few adult beverages here.
The game itself was really good which is to be expected in the league. Game was exciting as it came down to the ninth inning where the Dock Spiders won it.
I know I sound like a grump that is always unhappy but I promise you that is not the case. As I mentioned earlier, I've been to several stadiums and LOVED them. We always have a great time. This stadium (and organization) just didn't do it for me. I really hope others have a better experience as I want the league to be successful. From my visit I would suggest some major improvements if this team wants return guests because I can tell you from my experience on our first visit, this stadium won't be in our rounds in the future. read more
