The Lancaster Barnstormers - Clipper Magazine Stadium
The perfect way to spend Labor Day weekend - a night at the ballpark! Okay, we can all think of other places we'd rather be (Nordstroms) than pretending not to be sweating while in high humidity with the sun beating down on us, but since our family was there and we had such a great night...it just seemed like the fair thing to do.
Just to set the record straight...normally I would never think about blogging about a baseball game. Nothing against baseball; I just wouldn't. However, something very important came to me while at this game...something very important. These were hands-down, no contest, the CLEANEST public restrooms I have ever been in. Sparkling clean. Not a spot on the floor, no toilet paper on a seat, no overflowing garbage cans, no droplets of water on the counter clean.
Now, everyone likes a clean bathroom (except maybe those people on that "Hoarders" show - eew). However, as a mother, the cleanliness of the bathroom gave me pause. A pause that made me take even more notice of my current environment. (For the record, by then my pause had taken me back outside the restroom.)
Let me explain.
The "experts" whoever they are, claim that women make 80% of all household decisions. From what a family eats, to what they wear, the decor of a home, the brand of detergent, what toys are purchased, and so on. They generally have the final say of any major item, appliance or car a household might purchase right down to where a family dines out, vacations and the entertainment they see. That said - why aren't more businesses marketing to Moms?
I digress; back to the pause. I pause. I look around. I had noticed in the restroom that while it was sparkling clean, it also had a good-sized section cordoned off with a diaper changing station; was pleasantly cool (highly unusual in many sports stadiums), and had a crisp fresh scent to it. Nice and appreciated touches to any mother.
Mental mommy notes (pun intended) are flying around my head at this point. Reread that Mental mommy line again, it's kinda funny. Anyhow some of the voices that were singing in my head would be highlights for any Mom who visits Clipper Magazine Stadium:
- Lots of kiddie entertainment. Several playgrounds (free) that were fenced in for security.
- Carousel, bumper boats, bouncy slide and several baseball style games at a reasonable cost - good throughout the night as many times as a kid wants and a parent will tolerate.
- Plenty of seating for the adults - oh, and in a place you can still check on the ballgame periodically.
- Cute, clean area by the kids entertainment for Birthday parties.
- Multiple food stations with more options than just a hotdog! Yes, one even had Caesar salad. They were clean, food was cooked on the spot and was relatively tasty, 3 condiment areas in each location with lots of napkins around (amen); kids meals with cute Lancaster Barnstormer buckets to take home (plz don't let us be hoarders...) and best of all - cups with lids.
- Cylo, the Barnstormers' mascot comes by for pictures and autographs in the kids area every game.
- Every seat seems to be a great seat and aisles were roomy enough for my husband's very long legs.
- A fabulous, but not obnoxious sound system.
- Kooky games and entertainment or giveaways at the bottom of every inning.
- A beautifully maintained grassy knoll to spread out blankets and watch the game for those who don't want to spring for higher-priced seats.
Great job Barnstormers - we'll see ya next year.
