Spending an evening at Modern Woodmen Park

One of the 100 Places in Iowa to visit, John O'Donnell Stadium (now Modern Woodmen Park) is a great place to see a baseball game. Located along the river and next to the striking Centennial Bridge over the Mississippi River, the view is ever changing. The stadium is very easy to get into and out of, the amenities are great, and the baseball entertaining. In my book, that's a hard combination to beat. There's even an historic dimension:

Modern Woodmen Park was built in 1931, and was originally known as Municipal Stadium. It is one of the oldest ballparks still in use in all of the minor leagues (Centennial Field, home of the Vermont Lake Monsters originally opened in 1906), although it underwent a major renovation before the 2004 season that brought the ballpark up to modern professional baseball standards and a seating capacity of 4,024. The only major league ballparks older than it still in use are Fenway Park, Wrigley Field and Yankee Stadium. - Wikipedia

The one drawback for a fan of the Chicago Cubs is that the home team River Bandits are affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Linda and I explored the stadium over the course of the game. Down the right field line, the seats give way to a family picnic area complete with inflatable play areas for the little ones. Around the outfield, there are hillsides where blankets are spread for a leisurely evening in souvenir city. Down the left field line, there are traditional bleachers. All of the many, varied vendors line the back of the seating area and allow you to keep an eye on the game while getting a treat. It's an excellent design for the fans.

This evening, we watched a good game between the River Bandits and the Kane County Cougars of Geneva, Illinois. The home team lost 1-4 but the game was in doubt to the end. An added bonus was a very entertaining fireworks display.