Modern Woodmen Park nominated for USA TODAY Award
Modern Woodmen Park is frequently recognized nation-wide as a unique destination for Minor League Baseball and family entertainment. Today, the home of the Quad Cities River Bandits was announced by USA TODAY as a nominee for "Best Minor League Ballpark" in the 2013 10Best Readers' Choice Travel Awards. The winner will be announced Aug. 14.
Nominees were chosen by a panel of experts from USA TODAY, 10Best.com, and other contributors and sources for other Gannett properties. Readers, fans and the general public can vote online once per day for four weeks. All voting is available on the 10Best.com website, for which www.riverbandits.com is providing a link.
"The River Bandits and Main Street Baseball are delighted for this recognition of Modern Woodmen Park and the Quad Cities community," said team owner Dave Heller. "As an organization, we seek to make our ballpark an integral part of the Quad Cities, maintaining its original charm while working to improve and beautify it each year, and keeping it among the finest, most iconic ballparks in the country."
Modern Woodmen Park, which opened in 1931 as Davenport Municipal Stadium and was previously known as John O'Donnell Stadium, 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 more than seven million fans have passed through its gates in that time.
As the River Bandits ownership, Main Street Baseball has brought the stadium several improvements - including the Sky Deck, Pepsi Loge Boxes, the Crop Production Services Corn Field, a new high-definition video board and LED ribbon board. Earlier this season, Main Street Amusements opened a FlyWireTM dual zip line by Extreme Engineering, and a Mediacom Frog Hopper by S&S Worldwide, as part of a growing amusement lineup, including a new 112-foot tall Ferris Wheel, that will continue arriving through next season.
UP NEXT: All tickets are half-price courtesy of Modern Woodmen when the River Bandits host the Peoria Chiefs Tuesday, July 30, at 7 p.m. Modern Woodmen will also present a hat giveaway for the series opener. Single-game tickets are on sale at the River Bandits box office at Modern Woodmen Park, by phone at 563-324-3000 and online at www.riverbandits.com. Season ticket and mini-plan packages start at just seven games and begin at less than $50. Call a River Bandits account representative today to choose your seats and get the details of our various mini-plan packages.
ABOUT THE BANDITS: The River Bandits ownership is making one of the biggest improvements to Modern Woodmen Park since the ballpark was first built back in 1931! A new Ferris wheel, standing 112 feet over the playing field, is planned for next spring, along with a carousel and other new games and attractions. This season, the team just unveiled a new 300-foot long dual zip line, a rock climbing wall, a Mediacom Frog Hopper, and a number of new bounce houses . The team also boasts a new major league affiliate, the Houston Astros, and fans can see the first team in Minor League Baseball history with back-to-back No. 1 overall draft picks - 2012 top pick Carlos Correa and 2013 top pick Mark Appel, as well as 2012 first-round draft choice Lance McCullers. With new rides, new attractions, new improvements, a new affiliate and future major league stars, the second half of this season is one every fan will not want to miss!