Baseball Travel: Kindrick Legion Field, Helena

Helena Brewers / Kindrick Legion Field

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Rating

Specifics

Address/Directions: 1103 N. Main, Helena. From the I-15 freeway, take the Cedar Street exit and proceed westward. Cedar Street turns into Main Street. After a few miles, look to your left at Memorial Park.
Phone: 406-449-7616.
Web: www.helenabrewers.com
Online ticket sales? No.
Online broadcasts? Yes.
Capacity: 2.010.
Year Built: 1939.
Dimensions: 335L, 400C, 325R.
Last Visited: July 15, 1999.
League/class: Pioneer League, Advanced Rookie.
Affiliation: Milwaukee Brewers.

Description

The folks in Helena know how to rock and roll, if my visit to Kindrick Legion Field is any indication. A raucous crowd of 1,500 or turned out on a cold summer's night to cheer on their Brewers. The presence of a large youth group certainly livened things up, but I suspect that Kindrick Legion Field is always loud, thanks to the intimate design of the grandstand. The noise certainly reverberates throughout the stadium, and it won't take a lot of folks to raise a fuss.

And Kindrick is certainly set up for partying. You're never too far away from a concession stand, and except for 50 or so reserved box seats, all the seats in the park are general admission. Kindrick Legion Field may date back to 1939, but the facilities were updated in the 1970s and last year, so the bathrooms are new, as are the concession stands.

There aren't many season-ticket sold in Kindrick Legion Field, which means you can always snare a more expensive $7 seat. If you're lucky, you'll be seated in back of home plate and close to Calvin Griffith, whose season ticket is directly in back of home plate in the second row. Griffith, the legendary former owner of the Minnesota Twins, summers in Helena and can be found at most Helena Brewers home games. Cal's looking a little haggard these days, and he certainly doesn't dress up for games (his appearance was one step above a street person, decked out in an old Twins jacket with letter so worn as to be almost unintelligible), but Calvin's a living piece of history, and it's great to see that Calvin's love of the game is manifested with regular visits to a rookie-league ballpark.

There are persistent rumors about the Brewers bailing out of Helena, possibly in 2000 but more likely in 2001. The Pioneer League is in the midst of an identity crisis, as league owners see more lucrative pastures to the south -- specifically, Utah and Colorado -- while struggling with franchises like the Brewers that average 700 or so fans per game. In addition, Major League Baseball isn't being much help, either; teams simultaneously complain that the teams in the Pioneer League are too spread out (it's 800+ miles between Medicine Hat and Ogden) while planning to compete with the Pioneer League by establishing an MLB-owned minor league in Utah and Colorado. Still, it looks as though the Pioneer League is being proactive in its approach, as the most persistent rumor has the Brewers moving to Provo, Utah, into a yet-to-be-built stadium that would open in 2001. Team officials swear that there's no move impending for 2000, and if you want to see a classic field and meet Cal Griffith at the same time, you'd best make plans to visit Helena.

Concession Highlights

There's an abundance of concession facilities; even so, you can expect some long lines (unless you sit in the box seats, where a waitress will take your orders). The main concession stand features the standard ballpark items: hot dogs, burgers, popcorn, pop, and beer. Two separate stands in back of first base offer Pizza Hut personal pizzas and candy.

Kessler Brewery

A picnic area down the third-base line is sponsored by Pyramid Ales, a Seattle microbrewery. During our visit, Pyramid Hefeweizen was on tap. Down the first-base line is a beer-only stand featuring Montana microbrewed beers from Blackfoot River Brewery, Kessler Brewery, and Sleeping Giant Brewery, as well as Bud, Dos Equis (!), and Coors.

In 1999 the Brewers have a plethora of food-oriented promotions: Tuesday is 50-cent hot-dog night, Wednesday is All-U-Can-Eat Pasta Night, and Thursday is Thirsty Thursday, where 12-ounce beers are just $1 and a 16-ounce pop is 50 cents.

Smoking

I didn't test the smoking restrictions, but other Montana stadiums hew to a smoke-free policy.

For the Kids

There's no playground area, although there's a carnival-like games area in back of first base.

Parking

There's a small lot next to the stadium, while there's additional adjacent parking, which is shared by the municipal swimming pool. Unless a sell-out crowd is at hand, you should be able to park in one of these areas. All the parking is free.

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