Modern Woodmen Park competing in Ballpark Digest's "Best of the Ballparks"

Voted the Best Minor League Ballpark two summers ago, the Quad Cities' River Bandits home, Modern Woodmen Park, is now in the "Best of the Ballparks" contest on BallparkDigest.com. The website is having fans vote to decide in a bracketed competition the best ballpark at each minor league level.

All voting takes place on BallparkDigest.com, an industry leader in news about ballparks and baseball business. Modern Woodmen Park is the No. 2-seeded ballpark in the Class-A contest, so it will be against either Lansing's Cooley Law School Stadium or Bowling Green Ballpark in a round of voting kicking off Saturday at 9 a.m.

Ballpark Digest has recognized Modern Woodmen Park four times in the last seven seasons for Best Ballpark Improvement, most recently in 2014 for the addition of the first Ferris wheel inside a minor league ballpark.

"We are thrilled to have Modern Woodmen Park again recognized by Ballpark Digest, which is the most respected publication in the baseball industry," said River Bandits owner Dave Heller. "Modern Woodmen Park is a unique venue - for baseball, entertainment and year-round events - because of our great partnership with the City of Davenport and the tremendous support we receive throughout the Quad Cities community, and we encourage everyone to vote for Modern Woodmen Park on BallparkDigest.com."

In 2013, readers of USA TODAY and 10Best.com, voted Modern Woodmen Park as the Best Minor League Ballpark in an online contest. The ballpark, which opened in 1931 as Davenport Municipal Stadium and was known as John O'Donnell Stadium from 1971 to 2007, is the oldest stadium used continuously by a current Minor League Baseball team for more than 50 years. The current Midwest League franchise has played in it continuously since 1960, and nearly eight million fans have passed through its gates in that time.

"Modern Woodmen Park combines historical charm, unmatched scenic location, exciting improvements, and above all, affordable, family-friendly entertainment," said River Bandits general manager Andrew Chesser. "The continual recognition of the River Bandits and Modern Woodmen Park is truly a celebration of the Quad Cities."

The River Bandits and Modern Woodmen Park have also been recognized several times nationally in recent seasons. The River Bandits' home cap was voted the best in all of Class-A baseball, and in a Sporting News contest, the team's name was voted as one of the top eight in all of Minor League Baseball. The team's logo was also recently voted among the top eight - and the best in the Midwest League - in Baseball America's Logo Mania. In May, Modern Woodmen Park's R.I.A. Federal Credit Union Hon. Lane Evans Patriot Seats were voted the No. 2 Best Seats at any minor league ballpark in the country - and the top view of any ballpark at the Class-A and short season level - by fans on MiLB.com.

UP NEXT: Gates open at 4:00 p.m. Saturday for the annual Vintage Baseball Game - played by 19th-century rulles - and a bobblehead giveaway of 2013 CNN Hero of the Year and East Moline native Chad Pregracke, presented by MidAmerican Energy. The 6 p.m. game is a Fan Appreciation Saturday presented by 101.3 KISS-FM and Nacho Radio. Individual tickets are on sale at the River Bandits box office and online at riverbandits.com. Ticket plans of 12 to 70 games - which include free parking, reserved seats, merchandise discounts, and guaranteed giveaways - are available by calling 563-324-3000.

ABOUT THE BANDITS: With the installation of the Ferris Wheel, the River Bandits ownership in 2014 made one of the biggest improvements to Modern Woodmen Park since the ballpark was first built back in 1931, and this year the club is matching that effort by opening three new areas. A two-tiered special group deck immediately behind and overlooking the corn field opens next week. A new 11,000-square-foot concourse expansion down the third-base line will open in July. Finally, the club is expanding the children's play area by an additional 5,500 square feet down the right-field line. New rides will be announced upon completion of these new areas.