Regency Furniture Stadium
Encyclopedia
Regency Furniture Stadium is a 4,200-seat baseball park
in Waldorf, Maryland
that hosted its first regular season baseball game on May 2, 2008, as the tenants of the facility, the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs
defeated the Lancaster Barnstormers
, 3-2. For the 2010 baseball season, the collegiate summer Southern Maryland Nationals of the Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League
will play select games at the venue. The CRSCBL previously used Regency Furniture for the Mid-Atlantic Classic (see below). With the groundbreaking for Southern Maryland's new stadium, a local company, Regency Furniture, purchased the naming rights for $2.88 million over 10 years.
Regency Furniture Stadium is capped by sloping red roofs, similar to the architecture of Churchill Downs
, designed to pay homage to the Southern Maryland
region's tobacco barns. The left field wall of the ballpark bears a door that allows players to enter the field from the locker room, modeled after the Green Monster
at Fenway Park
.
of the Carolina League
. Construction workers even cleared trees to prepare the site, however, the ballpark planning eventually fell through. After county commissioners balked on the construction, $500,000 in public funds were paid to cancel signed contracts and undo the progress made during site preparation. The A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians
remained in Kinston
, and the Southern Maryland region was without a professional baseball team for another 23 years.
In 2004, a company called Opening Day Partners renewed interest for a Charles County ballpark. The stadium was originally slated to be built in the town of Hughesville
, but the residents voted against it in order to maintain the "rural charm" of the area. After Hughesville residents denied the ballpark, all interest shifted to Waldorf, a bedroom community
of Washington, D.C.
The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
formally announced an expansion team for Waldorf on February 15, 2006, to begin play in the 2008 season. The Blue Crabs were originally supposed to be an expansion team for the 2007 season, but the construction bids for Regency Furniture Stadium came in over budget. The ballpark instead opened in 2008.
In May 2007, commissioners from Charles County approved a $19 million bid for the construction of Regency Furniture Stadium. The groundbreaking ceremony was held on July 27, 2007 with Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley
in attendance.
and team co-owner, Brooks Robinson
, featuring the MVP Grill, the Gold Glove Grill, Hall of Fame Seafood, the Hot Corner Carvery, the All-Star Pizzeria, and Five’s Fare. Among the more common ballpark fare, the menu features several seafood
-themed concessions such as the sea dog (fish on a hot dog bun
), fried rockfish
, crab cake
s, crab balls, and the crab-filled soft pretzel
. A tent-covered picnic area, the Texas Roadhouse Corral, overlooks left field. Beer is available at the Backfin Pale Ale brewery.
Kids at the ballpark can enjoy Pinch's Playground, which includes a rock climbing wall and various inflatables. Additional attractions include the Crab Shack, the Blue Crabs' souvenir store, and the Legends Club, a facility designed for business conferences or parties.
band REO Speedwagon
, who played to a crowd of over 4,000 on August 11, 2008. The ballpark also hosted a series of Southern Maryland Country Music Festival performances that included Craig Morgan, Gary Allan
, John Luskey Band, Shooter Jennings
, and SwampDaWamp. Trace Adkins, another notable country musician, is scheduled to perform on July 4, 2009 for a tribute to the United States Armed Forces
. The hip-hop artists, T-Pain
and Flo-Rida, performed on June 6, 2009. The rock band, 3 Doors Down
, was booked for August 14, but moved to National Harbor because of lack of ticket sales.
All-Stars defeated the Valley Baseball League
All-Stars, 2-1. The game was televised on MASN.
, a Football League Championship
team based in London
, and its U.S. affiliate, Crystal Palace Baltimore. The game was nationally televised in the United States by the Fox Soccer Channel
. The English team beat the American team 5 to 2.
Baseball park
A baseball park, also known as a baseball stadium, ball park, or ballpark is a venue where baseball is played. It consists of the playing field and the surrounding spectator seating...
in Waldorf, Maryland
Waldorf, Maryland
Waldorf, Maryland is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Charles County, Maryland, United States. It is south-southeast of Washington, D.C. The population of the census-designated area only was 67,752 at the 2010 census...
that hosted its first regular season baseball game on May 2, 2008, as the tenants of the facility, the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs
Southern Maryland Blue Crabs
The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs is an American professional baseball team based in Waldorf, Maryland. They are a member of the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent baseball league which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. From the 2008 season...
defeated the Lancaster Barnstormers
Lancaster Barnstormers
The Lancaster Barnstormers is an American professional baseball team based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. They are a member of the Freedom Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...
, 3-2. For the 2010 baseball season, the collegiate summer Southern Maryland Nationals of the Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League
Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League
The Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League is a collegiate summer baseball league located in the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland metropolitan areas. All players are from NCAA-sanctioned colleges and universities and have at least one year of NCAA eligibility remaining.-History:The CRCBL...
will play select games at the venue. The CRSCBL previously used Regency Furniture for the Mid-Atlantic Classic (see below). With the groundbreaking for Southern Maryland's new stadium, a local company, Regency Furniture, purchased the naming rights for $2.88 million over 10 years.
Regency Furniture Stadium is capped by sloping red roofs, similar to the architecture of Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs, located in Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, is a Thoroughbred racetrack most famous for hosting the Kentucky Derby annually. It officially opened in 1875, and held the first Kentucky Derby and the first Kentucky Oaks in the same year. Churchill Downs...
, designed to pay homage to the Southern Maryland
Southern Maryland
Southern Maryland in popular usage is composed of the state's southernmost counties on the "Western Shore" of the Chesapeake Bay. This region includes all of Calvert, Charles and St. Mary's counties and sometimes the southern portions of Anne Arundel and Prince George's counties.- History...
region's tobacco barns. The left field wall of the ballpark bears a door that allows players to enter the field from the locker room, modeled after the Green Monster
Green Monster
The Green Monster is a popular nickname for the thirty-seven foot , two-inch high left field wall at Fenway Park, home to the Boston Red Sox baseball team...
at Fenway Park
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...
.
History
In 1985, Charles County initiated plans to build a ballpark for the relocated Kinston IndiansKinston Indians
The Kinston Indians were a minor league baseball team of the Carolina League , and the High-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. They were located in Kinston, North Carolina, and were named for their parent club...
of the Carolina League
Carolina League
The Carolina League is a minor league baseball affiliation which operates in the South Atlantic Coast of the United States. Before 2002, it was classified as a "High A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with the highest level of competition within that classification, and the fifth...
. Construction workers even cleared trees to prepare the site, however, the ballpark planning eventually fell through. After county commissioners balked on the construction, $500,000 in public funds were paid to cancel signed contracts and undo the progress made during site preparation. The A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
remained in Kinston
Kinston, North Carolina
Kinston is a city in Lenoir County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 23,688 at the 2000 census. The population was estimated at 22,360 in 2008. It has been the county seat of Lenoir County since its formation in 1791 . Kinston is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks...
, and the Southern Maryland region was without a professional baseball team for another 23 years.
In 2004, a company called Opening Day Partners renewed interest for a Charles County ballpark. The stadium was originally slated to be built in the town of Hughesville
Hughesville, Maryland
Hughesville is a census-designated place in Charles County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,537 at the 2000 census. Truman's Place was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.-Geography:...
, but the residents voted against it in order to maintain the "rural charm" of the area. After Hughesville residents denied the ballpark, all interest shifted to Waldorf, a bedroom community
Commuter town
A commuter town is an urban community that is primarily residential, from which most of the workforce commutes out to earn their livelihood. Many commuter towns act as suburbs of a nearby metropolis that workers travel to daily, and many suburbs are commuter towns...
of Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball is a professional, independent baseball organization located primarily in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, especially the greater metropolitan areas of the Northeast megalopolis. It operates in cities not served by Major or Minor League...
formally announced an expansion team for Waldorf on February 15, 2006, to begin play in the 2008 season. The Blue Crabs were originally supposed to be an expansion team for the 2007 season, but the construction bids for Regency Furniture Stadium came in over budget. The ballpark instead opened in 2008.
In May 2007, commissioners from Charles County approved a $19 million bid for the construction of Regency Furniture Stadium. The groundbreaking ceremony was held on July 27, 2007 with Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley
Martin O'Malley
Martin Joseph O'Malley is an American Democratic politician who is currently serving as the 61st Governor of Maryland. Previously, he served as the mayor of Baltimore from 1999 to 2007. He is currently the chairman of the Democratic Governors Association.-Early life, education and career:O'Malley...
in attendance.
Ballpark attractions
Regency Furniture Stadium's concession stands are all named after Hall of FamerNational Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 25 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, the display of...
and team co-owner, Brooks Robinson
Brooks Robinson
Brooks Calbert Robinson, Jr. is a former American professional baseball player. He played his entire 23-year major league career for the Baltimore Orioles . Nicknamed "The Human Vacuum Cleaner", he is generally acclaimed as the greatest defensive third-basemen in major league history...
, featuring the MVP Grill, the Gold Glove Grill, Hall of Fame Seafood, the Hot Corner Carvery, the All-Star Pizzeria, and Five’s Fare. Among the more common ballpark fare, the menu features several seafood
Seafood
Seafood is any form of marine life regarded as food by humans. Seafoods include fish, molluscs , crustaceans , echinoderms . Edible sea plants, such as some seaweeds and microalgae, are also seafood, and are widely eaten around the world, especially in Asia...
-themed concessions such as the sea dog (fish on a hot dog bun
Hot dog bun
A hot dog bun is a type of soft bun shaped specifically to contain a hot dog. The original purpose of this bun was to make it possible to eat hot dogs without burning ones hands....
), fried rockfish
Striped bass
The striped bass is the state fish of Maryland, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and the state saltwater fish of New York, Virginia, and New Hampshire...
, crab cake
Crab cake
A crab cake is an American dish composed of crab meat and various other ingredients, such as bread crumbs, milk, mayonnaise, eggs, yellow onions, and seasonings. Occasionally other ingredients such as red or green peppers or pink radishes are added, at which point the cake is then sautéed, baked,...
s, crab balls, and the crab-filled soft pretzel
Pretzel
A pretzel is a type of baked food made from dough in soft and hard varieties and savory or sweet flavors in a unique knot-like shape, originating in Europe...
. A tent-covered picnic area, the Texas Roadhouse Corral, overlooks left field. Beer is available at the Backfin Pale Ale brewery.
Kids at the ballpark can enjoy Pinch's Playground, which includes a rock climbing wall and various inflatables. Additional attractions include the Crab Shack, the Blue Crabs' souvenir store, and the Legends Club, a facility designed for business conferences or parties.
Crabby Cove
Crabby Cove is a 54,000 gallon, artificial pond with ten bumper boats equipped with water cannons and a small waterfall. Safety netting prevents incoming baseballs from injuring patrons of Crabby Cove.Concerts
The very first concert at Regency Furniture Stadium featured the rockRock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band REO Speedwagon
REO Speedwagon
REO Speedwagon is an American rock band. Formed in 1967, the band grew in popularity during the 1970s and peaked in the early 1980s. Hi Infidelity is the group's most commercially successful album, selling over ten million copies and charting four Top 40 hits in the US...
, who played to a crowd of over 4,000 on August 11, 2008. The ballpark also hosted a series of Southern Maryland Country Music Festival performances that included Craig Morgan, Gary Allan
Gary Allan
Gary Allan Herzberg is an American country music artist, known professionally as Gary Allan.Signed to Decca Records in 1996, Allan made his debut on the United States country music scene with the release of his single "Her Man", the lead-off to his gold-certified debut album Used Heart for Sale,...
, John Luskey Band, Shooter Jennings
Shooter Jennings
Waylon Albright "Shooter" Jennings is an American singer-songwriter active in the country music and Southern rock genres as well as making his first foray into psychedelic rock in 2009...
, and SwampDaWamp. Trace Adkins, another notable country musician, is scheduled to perform on July 4, 2009 for a tribute to the United States Armed Forces
United States armed forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
. The hip-hop artists, T-Pain
T-Pain
Faheem Rasheed Najm , better known by his stage name T-Pain, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, and actor, currently signed to Young Money Entertainment. His debut album, Rappa Ternt Sanga, was released in 2005. In 2007, T-Pain released his second studio album Epiphany,...
and Flo-Rida, performed on June 6, 2009. The rock band, 3 Doors Down
3 Doors Down
3 Doors Down is an American rock band from Escatawpa formed in 1996. The band consists of Brad Arnold , Matt Roberts , Todd Harrell , Chris Henderson , and Greg Upchurch ....
, was booked for August 14, but moved to National Harbor because of lack of ticket sales.
Mid-Atlantic Classic
On July 15, 2009, Regency Furniture Stadium hosted the inaugural Mid-Atlantic Classic, which the Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball LeagueCal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League
The Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League is a collegiate summer baseball league located in the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland metropolitan areas. All players are from NCAA-sanctioned colleges and universities and have at least one year of NCAA eligibility remaining.-History:The CRCBL...
All-Stars defeated the Valley Baseball League
Valley Baseball League
The Valley Baseball League is an NCAA-sanctioned collegiate summer baseball league in the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia. Each Valley Baseball League season consists of 44 games played during summer. Many Valley Baseball League players have continued on to play in Major League Baseball.The...
All-Stars, 2-1. The game was televised on MASN.
Soccer
On July 13, 2009, Regency Furniture Stadium hosted an exhibition soccer match between Crystal Palace F.C.Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
, a Football League Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
team based in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and its U.S. affiliate, Crystal Palace Baltimore. The game was nationally televised in the United States by the Fox Soccer Channel
Fox Soccer Channel
Fox Soccer is an American television specialty channel, owned by News Corporation's Fox Entertainment Group, that specializes in soccer. It formerly broadcast rugby and Australian rules football, but is now dedicated strictly to soccer...
. The English team beat the American team 5 to 2.