Clipper Magazine Stadium was named the best facility in the Atlantic League for the second consecutive season, it was announced today by league president Rick White.
The facility, in its 13th year on Prince Street was home to 70 Lancaster Barnstormers games, movies, dinners, and served as the central location for numerous community wide charity events over the course of the season.
With those events there are kids running the bases, fans playing catch on the field, the setup of tables on the concourse, fireworks and plenty of foot traffic.
Through all of the use, it remained as sparkling as the day it opened in 2005.
The stadium also underwent a major upgrade in 2017 with the addition of a new video board system, four times the size of the original, complete with instant replay capability and versatile graphics. Currently, the seating bowl is getting a new, artistic look with seats being wrapped with colors, names and logos selected by the season ticket holders themselves.
“Clipper Magazine Stadium is among the best minor league ballparks in all of baseball,” said White. “The playing surface is exemplary; its guest areas are immaculate and well-maintained. There is a year around commitment from everyone associated with the club -owners, full time administrators and seasonal staff – that makes Clipper Magazine Stadium a baseball showcase.”
White gave special praise to director of stadium operations Don Pryer, to whom he refers as “peerless” in the industry.
“We are thrilled to win this award again for both our organization and the Lancaster community. Our Stadium Operations team and staff works extremely hard to make sure we have the finest facility not just in the Atlantic League but in all of sports.” said Barnstormers general manager Mike Reynolds.
In other awards, the Somerset Patriots were lauded for promotional excellence (Ken Shepard Award) and for the promotion of the year, the 2017 Atlantic League All-Star Game. The Sugar Land Skeeters were awarded for outstanding community service for their tremendous response in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. Long Island’s QuackerJack was named the Mascot of the Year, and their groundskeeper, Cam Richardson was given the Ray Cipperly Award for Groundskeeping Excellence.
Jay Miller, the president of the Sugar Land Skeeters was the recipient of the Joe Klein Executive of the Year award, named for the late Atlantic League Executive Director, who passed away during the 2017 season.
© 2024, Lancaster Stormers. All Rights Reserved.
