May 28, 2012
Clipper Magazine Stadium (Capacity: 6,200)
Lancaster, PA
Lancaster Barnstormers vs Somerset Patriots
Final Score: 1 – 0 (10)
* The stadium has been renamed Penn Medicine Park
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Day Three of our trip to Pennsylvania Dutch Country brought us to its urban center, Lancaster. The surrounding country-side in south-central PA and its unique Amish characteristics mixed with the “English” make Lancaster County one of the more intriguing spots around. At the center of the county is the city that goes by the same name and it is home to nearly 60,000. After a 44 year hiatus from professional baseball, Lancaster was awarded a franchise in the Atlantic League and began play in 2005. The Barnstormers nickname has a duel meaning as not only does it honor the area’s farm heritage, but it is also in reference to the barnstorming exhibitions that came through town decades ago. Quickly after birth, the team won a league title in 2006. Since the franchise was born, games have been played in Clipper Magazine Stadium, a very fine facility with one glaring obstruction.
Prestige Ranking: 2.5 out of 5
Location
The highlight of the area are the tiny towns across the county, where visitors have a plethora of things to do, including getting a taste of the Amish lifestyle. Downtown Lancaster features less attractions and a more interesting mix of people, but still a few worthy places like the Central Market, Penn Square, Wheatland and many bars/restaurants. Just be aware though if you do make plans to check out Lancaster touristy stuff, check the hours along with the days they are open. Unfortunately, the ballpark isn’t within walking distance from any of this as the location on the Northern side of the city is rundown.
Location Ranking: 6 out of 10
Accessibility / Parking
Getting here can be a little bit of a hike from the interstates, but luckily US-30, US-222 and US-283 act like highways as they cut through the county. Clipper Magazine Stadium has plenty of signs and it is at the corner of the Harrisburg Pike and the Fruitville Pike (everything here is a “Pike”, but don’t worry, there are state road numbers too). The Barnstormers website offers great directions and a very helpful parking map for those who like to plan exactly where they go. The main lot behind the outfield is small and it fills quickly. Additional parking areas are found further down the road, enough of a distance that they offer a bus transport to those that struggle with the walk. Traffic was directed nicely in and out, but lack of traffic light coordination on the city streets meant a bit of a wait getting out of the city.
Accessibility / Parking Ranking: 6.5 out of 8
Exterior
The brick ballpark blends in nicely with the city and it has a typical shape. The front entrance is indented inwards with a large “Welcome to Clipper Magazine Stadium” stretched over the gap. Windows are decorated with various baseball pictures. Even though the exterior looks good, this design has been copied many times over in the minor league baseball world and I was hoping for more of a farming motif.
Exterior Ranking: 6.5 out of 10
Concourse
Wide open concourses are available here as the food stands are set back from where the brick outer walls are, allowing for more space. Berms and beams are painted green and a view of the field can be seen from any point except behind home plate. Bathrooms are set up at the ends, while the team store is in the middle. Also a nice touch is that as the concourse opens up to the outside, walkways continue all the way around the outfield.
Concourse Ranking: 4.5 out of 5
Food
A wide range of food options were available and I enjoyed one of several platters offered (mine was beef brisket on rye with chips and coleslaw). Locally-produced Turkey Hill Ice Cream products were widely available and promoted, while other specials included: Auntie Anne’s Pretzels, Flatbreads and Turkey Burgers. While the selection was good, Lancaster has many foods and products just unique to the area, like the Shoofly Pie, Whoopee Pie and Chow Chow. None of these were available. Beer on the other hand had some personality with Stoudt’s on tap.
Food Ranking: 7 out of 8
Interior
Even when you are in the concourse, there is one noticeable thing that stands out as odd in what otherwise is a fine ballpark. The sun is blaring in your face from left field. Obviously not ideal as you are trying to watch a game and for the one we attended, the issue was magnified as the temperature was still in the upper 80s. Awful job by designers as I’m not sure why the park couldn’t have been turned around. Otherwise, Clipper Magazine Stadium has many of the features found in a 2000-era ballpark. One level of green seats extend just beyond the infield and on the right side, the seats curl inward towards home plate. Sitting above the concourse and hanging slightly over the seats is a level for private suites. Meanwhile, the press box is behind the seating bowl and underneath the suite level. There is a lot of lawn space both along the left field line and in the outfield (good touch to have a bench for sitting right up to the wall). This is nice for families as it is also right next to a fairly large kids play area. Picnic space is abundant too on the other side. Probably the most unique spot in the park is Home Run Harbor in the outfield, where kids can play Bumper Boats in a pool. You can’t see the water from the outfield and I’m not sure the relevance of this area. Ads dominate the outfield here, but at least it blocks the view of a rather blah looking view of industrial debris and buildings. Though the interior is certainly decent, I again was hoping for more of a play on their farming theme and I also can’t get past that sun in my eyes for the first three innings.
Interior Ranking: 8 out of 14
Scoreboard
The main scoreboard in left is completely video and there is no decoration to it as it almost blends in with the surrounding ads. Even the top, where you would expect a logo or ballpark name, has a Turkey Hill logo. Regardless, the video and graphics are quality. A better board built into the right-field wall has a large box score with barn-like background
Scoreboard Ranking: 2.5 out of 4
Displays
Lancaster has a long baseball history and there is a terrific informational sign on the walkway to the exterior that depicts this history. One of those teams was the Red Roses and there are nice touches around the park to honor that heritage, including a garden of red roses beyond center field. Also, outside the stadium is a large plaque listing names of Lancaster County Baseball Hall of Fame members. As fans walk through the main gates, the first thing they see is a mural of Dick Scott, thanking him for bringing baseball back to the area. A nice touch. Around the concourse, small banners hanging from the ceiling show various teams, ballparks and graduating players to MLB from the Atlantic League. It’s interesting that they also show love for other teams as there is a sign near the box office encouraging fans to visit nearby local teams like York and Harrisburg. The only missing piece here was no sign of a championship pennant from the 2006 season.
Displays Ranking: 5 out of 6
Cost
Tickets are reasonable at $11 and $13, with the lawn seats going for $8. Parking was free, always a nice treat. Meanwhile, concessions were typical ballpark fare, but kind of high for the area (and decidedly higher than York). A cheeseburger was $5.25, regular fries were $3.25 and bottled water was $3.25. The $.75 cheese cup is annoying, but the $8.25 platter is the best deal with a sandwich, cole slaw and chips.
Cost Ranking: 7.5 out of 8
Fan Support
Attendance is in the middle of the pack for the league, but average playoff attendance for three games last year was a very respectable 4,782. Most fans on this night didn’t make it to the end, typical for the Minors, but more understandable since it was still going 10 PM on Memorial Day (with school/work the next day). About 20% of the original crowd was left at the end.
Fan Support Ranking: 5.5 out of 8
Atmosphere
The crowd had a little bit more pep than what you normally see at a minor league game and it was nice to hear some full cheers after good plays. The attentiveness may have had to do with what was an older crowd because of the Memorial Day festivities. Regardless, they showed good spirit and made a decent bit of noise in the ninth as they tried to rally Lancaster to a win. Unfortunately, the most organized cheers were not for the team. A long drown out “Frosty” yell, would accompany the opposing player who was designated the “K” man as a section would get a free ice cream treat if he struck out. Another tradition, is the occasional “Everybody Hits” yell, usually done by one person.
Atmosphere Ranking: 9 out of 14
Other Stuff
Back in the days of the Red Roses, Lancaster had a heated rivalry with York (the White Roses). With both teams recently back from a long hiatus, they have rekindled the rivalry with a pretty cool “War of the Roses” series. The winner of the season series, gets control of the Community Cup and this fine trophy was on display in the Stadium’s box office. They also have a standings board on one of the outfield signs…..The game we attended came on Memorial Day and there was a stirring tribute ongoing when we arrived an hour before the start. They did a terrific job honoring our veterans with many touching features…..You may pronounce it Lan-cast-er, but locals call it Lanc-kiss-ter….Loved seeing the Hex sign logo the team used….Apparently there is a Pinball Hall of Fame called the Silverball Museum Arcade in the stadium. However, it’s located on the skybox level, so what’s the point if the general public can’t see it? Booo to that.
Game
For the second stadium trip in a row, we saw a game where pitching dominated. Though it was impossible to tell at the time, but a play in the first inning was huge. Lancaster’s Ryan Harvey nailed Freddie Bynum at the plate with a perfect throw as Bynum tried to score from 2nd. The game went scoreless through nine as J.D. Durbin went 7 innings with only three hits allowed. Meanwhile, Somerset’s Drew Arguello pitched the full 9, only allowing eight hits. As the game went to the tenth and the offense for both teams continued to sputter, Lancaster’s Jaime Pedroza drilled a solo homer to win the game.
Stadium and Arena Visits 
