Omaha Storm Chasers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While in Omaha, we visited Werner Park, home of the Omaha Storm Chasers!

 

Like the park in Davenport, Werner is a very unique park with some features you can see only in Omaha.

 

The park is out in the middle of a cornfield.  Seriously. 

 

To be totally honest, it is actually a bit of a drive outside of the main Omaha area.  There is a nice shopping area close by though, so you still feel like you are close to the urban action.

 

I do like the trend now of having parks in a downtown area.  In Omaha Nebraska, having the park a bit out in the middle of a field seems more appropriate.  It works.

 

I liked a lot about this place.  The team shop had cool items and helpful staff.  I LOVE the fact that they actually sell lineup cards from previous games!

 

On the day we were there, they had a few players in the dugout signing autographs!  I wish more teams did promotions like this because autographs are cool, and getting to actually walk in the dugout is a bit of a treat!

 

They have a great concession selection!  Lots of variety and good quality!  We had a couple of dogs that we both felt were some of the best dogs we have had this season.

 

The park is AAA and has a AAA feel, BUT, it also has a lower league feel too- and I mean that in a very positive way.

 

The feel is casual and friendly.  You can credit some of that to the cool vibe all of Nebraska has, but it just seemed a lot more casual than a lot of other upper level parks I have visited.

 

The staff was friendly and helpful, and seemed genuinely interested in the fans experience.  I didn't see any ushers chasing people off, or any of that stuff.  In fact, I asked several staff people about seating, food, promotions and other stuff and ALL were very helpful.

 

You can walk all the way around the park, and there is plenty of grass space for kids to run around, and for additional seating.

 

 

 

Bob Feller Museum

On our recent trip through Iowa, we made a point to make a stop in Van Meter, to visit the Bob Feller Museum!

 

As former Clevelanders, we felt like this was a must stop.

 

We were actually fortunate enough to meet the legendary Bob Feller on a couple of occasions while we lived there.  He seemed tough as nails each time, even for the old timer he was.

 

I admired him for the fact that he took time out of his career as a very successful baseball player to VOLUNTEER to join the Navy and help out in WWII!  They don't make ballplayers like that anymore.  Heck, they don't make humans like that anymore.

 

Luckily, the nice little community of Van Meter Iowa has a museum going devoted to their hometown legend.  I hope this museum keeps going forever.  Bob deserves it.

 

The day we went the museum was having a bit of a "garage sale" selling some old signed photos and other items they had around.  I was very excited about this.  My wife was not as excited.

 

Still, I found some bargains, and simply enjoyed checking out the museum.

 

http://www.bobfellermuseum.org/

 

 

 

 

 

Quick Change

 

When it comes to promotions at a park, I have my favorites.  I will pretty much take a bobble head night over anything anytime.  I love leaving a park with one.

There are a few acts making the rounds that I really enjoy.  I think Noodleman is a lot of fun.  The Zooperstars are great.  And the San Diego Chicken is a must see anytime you can.

I read about Quick Change some time ago and just thought that the idea sounded unexciting.

I am not a big fan of dancing, and the whole thing sounded slightly novel at best.

Well, I did get to catch them for the first time at the Quad City game I went to this year.

This is actually a very fun act.

They dance- and during the dancing, there are very quick costume changes.  VERY QUICK!  In fact, I couldn't follow them at times.

They did use a cover a time or two, but there were some moments when a dress literally seemed to change color instantly.  I might compare what they do to a magic show in many ways.  You sort of set and wonder how they did it.

Anyway, this is a MUCH more interesting act than I expected! 

Quad City Wedding

Before the Quad City River Bandits game we went to, there was a wedding!  I think weddings before a game are so cool!

Check out my photos!

Quad Cities River Bandits

We had a very similar experience in Davenport Iowa to the one we had in Peoria.

That section of the country just has a very cool, relaxed, casual feel.

And, just like in Peoria, we found a great ballpark!

Modern Woodmen Park is the home of the Quad Cities River Bandits.  This is one of those parks that I really wanted to get to and catch a game.  Some of the photos showing that great bridge in the background really impressed me!

That bridge really looks spectacular.  What a unique view over the outfield wall for fans in Davenport!

In fact, I can't saw enough about it.  It might be one of the most impressive views in all of baseball.  That view, along with the nice, small size of the park, instantly makes this one of my favorites!

Kids riding their bikes across the bridge stopped to catch some of the game.  The bridge lights up at nice.  There is almost something unreal about looking at it.

The staff at Modern Woodmen Park do a great job too.

We bought foot long hot dogs at one of the stands near the entrance.  The guys cooking and selling the dogs were full of character.  The locals seemed to love these guys.

They charge $2 to park, but then they give you $2 in "Bandit Bucks" to use inside of the park!  I can handle that!

As I mentioned, the park has a very small feel (it reminded me in some ways of NYPL parks).  All of the seats are good.  AND you can walk a complete lap around the park (I love that at a minor league park).

If you are a baseball road tripper, this is a trip you have to make.  The park is amazing. 

Peoria Chiefs

We stopped at O'Brien Field in Peoria recently on our trip through Illinois.

Sometimes on a road trip, you have to time things out in a not so perfect way.  We were not able to stop here on a game day.  Which is sad, because this park looks great.  The staff was awesome too, and we really liked Peoria.

The Chiefs had no problem letting me come in and take a few pictures.  They opened their gift shop up too!

Merchandise Manager Paige Peugh was great in the team shop.  She let me know about the sales going on, what was going on with the team, etc.  After I made my purchases and left the gift shop, she chased me down to give me a program, pointing out one of the players on the team we had discussed!  She then offered to take a photo of me and my wife (I think she noticed that we were trying to do the sloppy self photo thing).

AND the Chiefs have a well stocked reasonable gift shop.  Postcards, team sets and other items were on hand.  I even scored a team jersey for under $50!!!  (bloggers note: if you collect jerseys and find them for 60 bucks or less, you MUST buy at least one).

Other than some parts of the southern part of the state, I am not real familiar with Illinois.  This is a nice area though, with a lot going on.  I really want to get back to this area to explore a bit more.

 

Hopkinsville Baseball



Check out the Pennyroyal Museum in Hopkinsville-

http://www.hoptown.org/museum

They have a great set up relating to the area and its history!  They have a very nice display on the old Hoptown Hoppers!  Check out the photos!

Also, this is simply a GREAT MUSEUM!  They don't have a ton of space, but they have done a lot with what they have.

They have amazing displays on the Knight Riders, Edgar Cayce, and other odd and interesting people and events in history linked to the area.