Veterans Memorial Stadium (Cedar Rapids)
Encyclopedia
Veterans Memorial Stadium is a minor league baseball
stadium
in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
. It is the home field of the Cedar Rapids Kernels
of the Midwest League
. It is often called New Veterans Memorial Stadium to distinguish it from the original Veterans Memorial Stadium, which existed from 1949 to 2001.
and Kingston Stadium, home to Kennedy, Jefferson, and Washington high school football, are both adjacent to Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Veterans Memorial Stadium has a total seating capacity
of about 5,300. It has 12 luxury suites and several sections that are reserved for group outings, including a mezzanine terrace in the upper deck behind first base, a pavilion in left field, and a pre-game picnic area.
In addition to Kernels games, Veterans Memorial Stadium hosted the Midwest League All-Star Game in 2004. On July 9, 2005, the stadium hosted its first concert, featuring Bob Dylan
and Willie Nelson
. The American Legion
World Series was held there in 2006. It is also occasionally used for high school and college baseball games, including the annual Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
baseball tournament. It hosted the annual "Corridor Classic" between the Iowa Hawkeyes
and the Northern Iowa Panthers
until the University of Northern Iowa
discontinued its baseball program.
The city of Cedar Rapids owns Veterans Memorial Stadium, which was named to honor veterans of all wars, and the city's Veterans Memorial Commission operates and maintains the stadium. The Linn County
All Veterans Memorial is located next to the stadium. In March 2004 the Kernels and the city agreed to a new 40-year lease agreement that reduced the ballclub's monthly payments from the original 20-year agreement that they had signed when the new stadium opened.
In March 2008 the Kernels sold the naming rights
of the playing field to the Dale and Thomas Popcorn
Company. The playing field was known as Dale and Thomas Popcorn Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium for the 2008 season. The field was renamed Perfect Game Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium when Perfect Game USA, a baseball scouting company based in Cedar Rapids, bought the naming rights to the field in March 2009.
. It later became home to the Cedar Rapids Indians (1950–1952), the Cedar Rapids Raiders (1953–1957), and the Cedar Rapids Braves (1958–1961) of the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League
. From 1962 until its demolition, Cedar Rapids' Midwest League teams — which went through several name changes before becoming the Kernels in 1993 — played their home games there.
During the 1990s, Veterans Memorial Stadium failed to meet many of Major League Baseball
's new standards for minor league parks as newer facilities were opening in other Midwest League cities. On August 15, 2000, Cedar Rapids voters approved a referendum that helped provide some of the money needed to build a new ballpark adjacent to the old one. (Other funds came from the state of Iowa
, the Kernels ballclub, and private donations.) The last game at the old Veterans Memorial Stadium was played on August 28, 2001, with the Kernels defeating the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
4-1. The stadium was demolished shortly afterwards and the site now serves as a parking lot for the new stadium.
The new Veterans Memorial Stadium was dedicated on April 7, 2002, but that day's scheduled game against the Quad City River Bandits was rained out. The first games were not played until April 9, when the Kernels swept a doubleheader from the River Bandits, 5-4 and 3-0.
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
stadium
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Cedar Rapids is the second largest city in Iowa and is the county seat of Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River, north of Iowa City and east of Des Moines, the state's capital and largest city...
. It is the home field of the Cedar Rapids Kernels
Cedar Rapids Kernels
The Cedar Rapids Kernels are a Class A minor league baseball team based in Iowa. It is affiliated with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and plays in the Midwest League.-Franchise history:...
of the Midwest League
Midwest League
The Midwest League is a Class-A minor league baseball league which operates in the Midwestern United States.-History:Six teams – the Belleville Stags, the Centralia Cubs, the Marion Indians, the Mattoon Indians or East Frankfort White Sox, the Mount Vernon Braves, and the West Frankfort...
. It is often called New Veterans Memorial Stadium to distinguish it from the original Veterans Memorial Stadium, which existed from 1949 to 2001.
Overview
Veterans Memorial Stadium is located southwest of downtown Cedar Rapids on Rockford Road. The Cedar Rapids Ice ArenaCedar Rapids Ice Arena
The Cedar Rapids Ice Arena is a 4,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, located adjacent to Veterans Memorial Stadium. The arena opened on January 8, 2000, and is owned by the city of Cedar Rapids. It is home to the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the United States Hockey League as well...
and Kingston Stadium, home to Kennedy, Jefferson, and Washington high school football, are both adjacent to Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Veterans Memorial Stadium has a total seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
of about 5,300. It has 12 luxury suites and several sections that are reserved for group outings, including a mezzanine terrace in the upper deck behind first base, a pavilion in left field, and a pre-game picnic area.
In addition to Kernels games, Veterans Memorial Stadium hosted the Midwest League All-Star Game in 2004. On July 9, 2005, the stadium hosted its first concert, featuring Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
and Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
. The American Legion
American Legion
The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...
World Series was held there in 2006. It is also occasionally used for high school and college baseball games, including the annual Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference is an College Athletic Conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. As the name implies, member teams are located in the state of Iowa.-History:...
baseball tournament. It hosted the annual "Corridor Classic" between the Iowa Hawkeyes
Iowa Hawkeyes
The Iowa Hawkeyes are the athletics teams that represent the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. The Hawkeyes have varsity teams in 24 sports, 11 for men and 13 for women. The teams participate in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and are members of the...
and the Northern Iowa Panthers
Northern Iowa Panthers
The Northern Iowa Panthers are the athletic teams of the University of Northern Iowa. The university is a member of the Missouri Valley Conference and competes in NCAA Division I, fielding 15 varsity teams in 11 sports:...
until the University of Northern Iowa
University of Northern Iowa
The University of Northern Iowa is a college located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, United States. UNI offers more than 120 majors across the colleges of Business Administration, Education, Humanities and Fine Arts, Natural Sciences, and Social and Behavioral sciences, and graduate college.UNI has...
discontinued its baseball program.
The city of Cedar Rapids owns Veterans Memorial Stadium, which was named to honor veterans of all wars, and the city's Veterans Memorial Commission operates and maintains the stadium. The Linn County
Linn County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 211,226 in the county, with a population density of . There were 92,251 housing units, of which 86,134 were occupied.-2000 census:...
All Veterans Memorial is located next to the stadium. In March 2004 the Kernels and the city agreed to a new 40-year lease agreement that reduced the ballclub's monthly payments from the original 20-year agreement that they had signed when the new stadium opened.
In March 2008 the Kernels sold the naming rights
Naming rights
In the private sector, naming rights are a financial transaction whereby a corporation or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, typically for a defined period of time. For properties like a multi-purpose arena, performing arts venue or an athletic field, the term ranges from three...
of the playing field to the Dale and Thomas Popcorn
Dale and Thomas Popcorn
Dale and Thomas Popcorn is a gourmet popcorn company based in Englewood, New Jersey, which was founded by Warren Struhl and Richard Demb. The company spokesperson and "popcorn chef" is Ed Doyle . The company's original name was "Popcorn, Indiana" until partnering with Isiah Thomas, Hall of Fame...
Company. The playing field was known as Dale and Thomas Popcorn Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium for the 2008 season. The field was renamed Perfect Game Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium when Perfect Game USA, a baseball scouting company based in Cedar Rapids, bought the naming rights to the field in March 2009.
History
The original Veterans Memorial Stadium was built in 1949 for the Cedar Rapids Rockets of the Central AssociationCentral Association
The Central Association was an American minor league baseball league. It began operations in 1908, and ran continuously through 1917.-1908:The teams from Burlington, Iowa, Jacksonville, Illinois, Keokuk, Iowa, Oskaloosa, Iowa, Ottumwa, Iowa, Quincy, Illinois, and Waterloo, Iowa joined after having...
. It later became home to the Cedar Rapids Indians (1950–1952), the Cedar Rapids Raiders (1953–1957), and the Cedar Rapids Braves (1958–1961) of the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League
Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League
The Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League was a minor league baseball organization that operated for the better part of 60 years, mostly in those three states. It was popularly known as the Three-I League and also sometimes jokingly as the Three-Eye League....
. From 1962 until its demolition, Cedar Rapids' Midwest League teams — which went through several name changes before becoming the Kernels in 1993 — played their home games there.
During the 1990s, Veterans Memorial Stadium failed to meet many of Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
's new standards for minor league parks as newer facilities were opening in other Midwest League cities. On August 15, 2000, Cedar Rapids voters approved a referendum that helped provide some of the money needed to build a new ballpark adjacent to the old one. (Other funds came from the state of Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, the Kernels ballclub, and private donations.) The last game at the old Veterans Memorial Stadium was played on August 28, 2001, with the Kernels defeating the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers are a minor league baseball team of the Midwest League, and the Class A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Grand Chute, Wisconsin, and are named for timber rattlesnakes. The team plays its home games at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium...
4-1. The stadium was demolished shortly afterwards and the site now serves as a parking lot for the new stadium.
The new Veterans Memorial Stadium was dedicated on April 7, 2002, but that day's scheduled game against the Quad City River Bandits was rained out. The first games were not played until April 9, when the Kernels swept a doubleheader from the River Bandits, 5-4 and 3-0.