CLEAR CHANNEL STADIUM

TEAM ::: LANCASTER JETHAWKS

LOCATION ::: LANCASTER,CALIFORNIA

MY FIRST VISIT ::: JULY 24, 2009

OPPONENT ::: LAKE ELSINORE STORM

LEVEL ::: CALIFORNIA LEAGUE ‘A’

RATINGS

BALLFIELD ::: A

SCOREBOARD ::: B

FOOD ::: B+

FACILITIES ::: A

MASCOT ::: B

MY TAKE ON THE PARK

Located in the Mojave Desert, 71 miles north of Dodger Stadium, Clear Channel Stadium sits along Route 19 outside the city of Lancaster. There are a few hotels in the vicinity, meaning Lancaster may be a first stop on a trip south from San Francisco.

Spotting the park is easy, just look for the jet in front of the building with the light towers. I'm sure driving down Rte 19 at 9:00pm game night is a cool site seeing the light towers out of the black sky from the desert.

The Jet in front of the park makes for an excellent meeting place prior to the game, something I think adds to the ballpark.

Passing under the jet, placed in front of the park due to the proximity to Edwards Air Force Base, and then past the ticket takers, you enter onto a concourse where concessions are. It reminded me of New Britain without the walking out of the basement to the concourse. Unlike New Britain, ramps take you directly into the seating area where there are two levels divided by a walk way. Comfortable seats for $8 in the lower section.

Parking is $5 but a nice touch, you receive a $2 coupon for the concessions .. I guess parking is $3. The hot dog was pretty good and I was able to get a domestic beer for $3.

The game here is handled simply. The scoreboard is quick with the ball strike counts, but is sometimes slow on the batters and no previous at bat info is provided.

I am guessing game time temperature was in the 90s .. It was so comfortable, the seating is in the shade and there is a very steady wind blowing the whole game. Believe it or not, the temperature along Route 14 hit 104 but for the game you may need a jacket from the 7th inning on.

A trip to Lancaster is one I will try to make again. The staff was very friendly, all of them greeted me with a smile and sent me off with a "Have fun tonight." They have cheerleaders here called "Hawkettes" who do a few dances and during the game, a live recording of a guitar and drum play over the PA which makes for a unique experience. I think we've all heard the same canned sounds at the game. I think they sound better when coming straight from an amplifier and a real drum set. Promotions were working very well throughout the night, but in the middle of the 8th inning somebody thought it would be a good idea for all the kids to run from foul pole to foul pole. It delayed the game and it didn't seem necessary.

All in all, a good night in the desert north of LA.