Baseball Travels
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Sioux Falls Canaries
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Address/Directions: 1201 West Av. N., Sioux Falls. From I-29, take the
Russell Street exit and then go 1¼ miles to West Avenue. Hang a right on
West and the stadium is less than a block south.
Phone: 604-333-0179.
Web: http://canaries.iw.net/
Online ticket sales? No.
Online broadcasts? Yes.
Capacity: 3,389.
Year Built: 1941.
Last Visited: August 1998.
League: Northern League.
Affiliation: None.
Sioux Falls Stadium -- also known as "the Bird Cage" -- is a pleasant
place to watch the ballgame. The core of the stadium was built in the 1940s,
with an expanded concession area added in 1993. Historically, Sioux Falls fans
have supported baseball -- the Canaries were one of the leading franchises in
the old Northern League, and there's a lot of local interest in all baseball,
ranging from Legion to the Twins. Despite some previous ownership problems with
the Canaries (which were eliminated when Mike Veeck took control of the
Canaries before the 1998 season), Sioux Falls fans have embraced the new
Northern League, and by the end of 1998, the Canaries were selling out games,
with plenty of groups crowding the picnic area. (That's why you'll want to call
ahead for tickets if you plan a visit.)
Mike Veeck brought his traveling fun show to the Bird Cage in 1998 and spiffed
up the stadium with the usual Veeck remodeling: bird cages and flower pots
everywhere, with a piano bar for entertainment. You might find Veeck hanging
around the Bird Cage sometime this summer, since he abruptly retired from his
position as vice present of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in order to spend more
time with his daughter, Rebecca, who is slowly losing her eyesight because of
retinitis pigmentosa, which gradually destroys the retina and optic nerves. I
was lucky enough to meet Rebecca when I visited Mike at the Bird Cage last
summer, and she is indeed a sweetheart.
Standard ballpark fare -- hot dogs, polish sausages, beer, pop, with the
highlights being Canary Wheat (brewed by a local brewpub) and very good
Klements hot dogs. You can also try a Runza, a tasty heartland variation on the
familiar pasty.
For those unfamiliar with pasties or Runzas, a short explanation is in order.
Back when working people actually brought their lunches to work, it was
convenient to bake a lunch (combining meat and vegetables) inside dough. In
northern Minnesota, the Slovaks and Croats baked pasties (which are still
available almost anywhere on the Iron Range). Runzas are lighter than your
normal pasty. There are several Runza restaurants in the Omaha and Lincoln
areas.
You can smoke in the outer concourse or the picnic area.
While Mike Veeck didn't bring massaging nuns and trained pigs to Sioux Falls,
he did provide another Veeck signature item: a playground area, this one down
the third-base line.
There's free parking in the adjoining parking lot. You can also find hardcore
tailgaters hanging out before games.
Like a good nephew, I always visit my aunts Erna and Marge when I visit Sioux
Falls. For those of you lacking aunts in Sioux Falls, a visit to the
spanking-new Washington Pavilion of Arts and Sciences (housed in the old
Washington High School at the corner of Main Avenue and 11th Street) is
mandatory. The city and the state managed to find $31.5 million to create an
arts and science center in an area that, quite frankly, was lacking in
sophistication. For adults, there will be live music -- both Yo-Yo Ma and
Dionne Warwick are scheduled to appear with the South Dakota Symphony -- and
the kids will love the science portion of the complex, which features T-Rex
replicas, computer simulations and more.
Head to Sioux Falls Brewing Co. (421 N. Philips) for a great selection of
handcrafted beers, including Canary Wheat (also available at the ballpark). The
players have been known to drop by George's (909 West Av.), just south of the
stadium.
Because Sioux Falls Stadium is also close to the Sioux Falls Airport, there are
many hotels within a short drive or walking distance. The
Ramada Inn (1301 W. Russell St.,
605-336-1020), the brand-new Sheraton Sioux
Falls (1211 N West Av.) and Rodeway Inn (809 West Av., 605-336-0230) are
within walking distance of Sioux Falls Stadium. The Ramada and the Sheraton are
the nicest of the three, but the Rodeway Inn is the least expensive of the
three. Also in the general vicinity are the Days Inn Airport (5001 N. Cliff
Av.) and the Exel Inn (1300 W. Russell St.).
The other cluster of hotels is around the Empire Mall on the south side of
Sioux Falls. Hotels in this area include the Radisson Empire (4300 Empire Place), Baymont
Inn and Suites (3200 Meadow Av.), Comfort Inn South (3216 S. Carolyn Av.), Days
Inn Empire (3401 Gateway Blvd.), Fairfield
Inn (4501 W. Empire Place),
If you really want to stay downtown -- which I can't heartily recommend, mainly
because there's not a whole lot to do in downtown Sioux Falls -- check out the
Holiday Inn City Center (100 W. Eighth
St.).
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