Akron RubberDucks Baseball at Canal Park is back with entertainment galore and a slew of mouth-watering food items
By Patricia Nugent
With a full slate of special events, celebrity visits, amazing giveaways, fantastic food items and a home team that’s red hot, the gates down at Canal Park are open and things are officially “quack” to normal for the Akron RubberDucks.
“Last year’s challenges made this spring’s opening day all the sweeter,” says Promotions Coordinator Kyle Hixenbaugh. “Bringing baseball back to Akron has been absolutely amazing. We’ve really hit the ground running. There are so many new
things going on, such as our new announcer who makes every pitch more fun.”
Extreme Food Experiences Abound
Yes, the games themselves offer an unparalleled sports entertainment experience, but those in the know at Canal Park realize the unmistakable lure of offering wildly inventive food selections.
“Already a huge fan favorite is the Dog Check Roll,” says Kyle. “We stuff a foot-long hot dog with Stouffer’s white-cheddar mac and cheese and pulled pork, then tuck it into a puff pastry, bake it and drizzle it with barbecue and cusabi cucumber-based sauce. The perfect specialty dish to share, we cut it like sushi and serve with chopsticks.”
Another popular choice is the Waffle Rockwurst, which is a brat served in a Belgian waffle bun topped with caramelized onions and specialty mustard.
Following the smoking-hot national food trend of street corn, the park is also thrilled to welcome a new vendor to a festive stand near the third-base side, Johnny Lote’s.
“Elóte means street corn in Spanish,” explains Kyle. “This corn on the cob is unbelievably tender and tasty, with mild, medium and hot sauces, cotija cheese and seasonings. There are also nachos and bowls that feature the corn as their star ingredient.”
Scouting Report: Young and Hungry
As this issue goes to press, the Ducks just came off a winning series against the high-powered number one team, the Bowie Baysox. The upset victory came in extra innings when Oscar Gonzalez fired a rocket for a grand slam.
“I’d describe our team as young and very hungry,” says Kyle. “There’s a boatload of talent at every position on this team and that’s paying off. These guys are in this for the long run and I have a feeling you’ll be seeing their names for a long time to come.”
Fun prospects to watch for are catcher Bo Naylor, who is one of the youngest players in the league at 21 years old, in-fielder and #3 prospect Tyler Freeman, and outfielder Trenton Brooks, who is coming off the best season of his career in 2019.
And the great news is, there’s still a ton of baseball and affordable family fun to be had in this 120-game season. As part of the Double-A Northwest League, Affiliate to the Cleveland Indians, you never know when one of your favorites will get “The Call” and take a trip up I-77, just like Francisco Lindor did a few years ago.
A Smashing Events Lineup
Every game is special at Canal Park, with fireworks shows at each Friday night home game, premium giveaways to the first 1,000 fans on Saturday games, t-shirts and Craft Beer nights on Tuesdays, and Family FUNDays on Sundays, with the kids playing pre-game catch on the field and running the bases post-game.
Kicking off next week is a slate of don’t-miss themed games:
- Tuesday, July 20 - ‘Merica Summer Olympics Celebration
- Wednesday, July 21 - Big Splash Day, Canal Park turns into a water park (be prepared to get soaked!)
- Thursday, July 22 - Irish Appreciation Night, a wee bit o’ frolic
- Friday, July 23 - AC/DC Celebration of the 45th anniversary of the album High Voltage with fireworks
- Saturday, July 24 - “Yoskilleeohdoh!” Waterboy Night with Creedence Clearwater Revival Fireworks and a Farmer Fran Bobblehead to the first 1,000 fans
- Sunday, July 25 - “Ruh Roh Raggy!” Scooby Doo Night, fans will be solving mysteries and exposing the monsters during the game. Kids 12 and under run the bases after the game
There are many other events planned throughout August and September, check out the entire lineup at AkronRubberDucks.com.
Comedy Night
The Akron RubberDucks are always introducing novel events to entice fans to come out and have more fun. This year Comedy Nights have been a huge hit. In May, comedian Preacher Lawson from America’s Got Talent performed to a wowed crowd. Mark your calendar for Friday, August 13. Comedian Rob Schneider will perform a live stand-up comedy show at 8 p.m. This veteran from Saturday Night Live and scores of hit comedy movies, such as Grown Ups, will perform a hilarious set. Tickets range from $35 to $65 and are available at AkronRubberDucks.com.
The Akron RubberDucks season runs through late September. Canal Park is located at 300 South Main Street in downtown Akron, less than five minutes off I-77. Visit AkronRubberDucks.com for a schedule of games and special events or call 330-253-5151.