(Editor’s Note: This feature story on the Lancaster Barnstormers first appeared on Lebanon Sports Buzz in the summer of 2016.)

 BY JEFF FALK

LANCASTER – There was a time in the early 1990s when minor league baseball went from being a mom-and-pop operation to big business. It was on the back-side of that trend that baseball was reborn in Lancaster.

Over the last 11 seasons, not only have the Barnstormers followed the prevailing business model to a tee, it has also served them well.

But in the Lebanon, Dauphin, Berks and Lancaster County markets, the Barnstormers are still the new kids on the block, lagging on behind the more established Senators in Harrisburg and Phillies in Reading, in popularity. Yet in no way does that undermine the success the Barnstormers have been able to accomplish in a relatively short period of time.

“In terms of our market, we’re much fresher and much newer than those other teams are,” said John Brennan, the Lancaster Barnstormers’ Multi-Media and Public Relations Coordinator. “We have that fresh new feeling. I don’t feel like we’re an out-dated team.

“I think the biggest thing for us was the change in ownership in 2013,” continued Brennan. “The franchise was sold by Opening Day Partners to the four founders of Clipper Magazine. They brought a different mindset in sales and marketing because they came from the magazine business, and they’re very sponsorship-driven. I’d say that’s the biggest thing. They’re on the ground floor every day, trying to make this the best team it can be.”

Unlike the Phillies and Senators, the Barnstormers are not affiliated with a Major League Baseball club. Lancaster competes in the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball’s Freedom Division.

“I personally think everyone started thinking three-hour baseball games were becoming boring, without promotions,” said Brennan. “If we didn’t do promotions, I don’t think we’d get the attendance we’re getting. We’re more entertaining during the game, and the more sponsorship dollars you can get, the better off you’re going to be financially. If you’re not doing that, you’re leaving money out on the table.

“The future is pretty promising,” Brennan continued. “The ownership group is really starting to hit their stride with the baseball business. It was a very steep learning curve for them. They’re only going to find out different ways to get more people here, to improve the fan experience. I know we can always improve. If you have a great time at the game, you’re going to come back. There’s no room to rest.”

Located at 650 North Prince Street in the city, just outside of Lancaster’s downtown business district, the Barnstormers’ home yard – Clipper Magazine Stadium – is about a 45-minute drive from Lebanon. Parking is plentiful and free, and the trip serve as the perfect affordable family getaway, in and around the summer months.

Tickets are very reasonably priced between $6 and $13. Concessions are priced on par with those in Harrisburg, but slightly more than Reading’s.

Beers cost between $5.50 and $7.25. Hot dogs are $2.25 to $3.75. Peanuts are $3.75. Clipper Magazine Stadium does not offer Cracker Jacks.

“Lebanon has just recently become higher on our radar,” said Brennan. “We find people from Lebanon enjoy coming to Lancaster Barnstormer games. We’ve been in touch with more businesses in Lebanon. Lebanon is our neighbor and a big part of what we plan for the future.

“First and foremost, we have to figure out why people in Lebanon come down here,” added Brennan. “I think we get overlooked. We have shown we can put on a quality show, and that it’s quality baseball. If we can get them to come down here, we’re confident we can get them to come back. The biggest thing is getting the word out.”

Inside Clipper Magazine Stadium, the Barnstormers offer all the bells and whistles that have become common in minor league baseball – between-inning games and contests, fireworks, player interviews and a play-amusement area for youngsters. But Lancaster seems to place more emphasis on things like banner ads, sponsorships, promotions, celebrity appearances and corporate box seating.

One can even sponsor a strikeout, if he or she is so inclined.

“Basically what we try to do is make the atmosphere fun for everyone from a child to a person in their 80s, and everyone in between,” said Brennan. “Making it family friendly is probably the most important thing we do. We want to entertain the masses, not certain demographics.

“It can be anything from promotions to Fill the Belly Tuesdays to dollar-dog nights,” Brennan added. “And with the things we do on the field, we’re always trying to think of things that incorporate multiple family members at a time. We can’t do something during every half-inning break. But we try to do something every other half-inning.”

The Barnstormers play 70 home games between May and September, and Lancaster averages 3,800 fans per contest.

“We’ve really been battling the weather this year,” said Brennan. “I think it’s one of the things that’s keeping people away. We’ve played 35 home games and we’ve had some sort of rain for 20 of those. It seems every time you look up the tarp is on the field. It’s been hurting our attendance, even though we’re doing a good job of promoting. But we’re never going to be happy, until every game is sold out.

“The majority of our fans are coming from Lancaster County,” continued Brennan. “They’re people who have gotten tickets from their employers, first dates, a family of four, people who get out to one or two Barnstormer games a year. I’m not saying we don’t draw from the York and Harrisburg areas – even down towards Philadelphia – but those people are coming out for special reasons. It depends on what’s going on that night. But most of them live within a 20-mile radius.”

Professional baseball in Lancaster dates back to the 1880s and the Lancaster Ironsiders. Over the decades, Lancaster hosted a number of professional clubs, including the Lancasters, the Chicks, the Giants, the Maroons and the Red Roses.

But the Red Roses folded in 1961, and professional baseball would be absent in Lancaster for the next 44 years.

“We’re pretty much trying to attract everyone who’s thinking of doing something on a Friday or a Saturday night,” said Brennan. “We could be competing against art galleries or restaurants. There’s a lot of different things people could choose to do on Saturday night. We have to set ourselves apart from other places. It’s one thing to get people to come out, and it’s another thing to get them to come back. Getting them to come out is half the battle, and getting them to come back is the other half.”

Clipper Magazine Stadium, which seats 6,000, has also hosted professional soccer, little league, scholastic and college baseball, ice skating, boxing and concerts.

“At this place, we do more than just play baseball,” said Brennan. “It’s really become a multi-purpose field. The owners want it to be a community center, not just a baseball stadium.

“Winning is really important,” Brennan continued. “I don’t want to say it’s The most important thing. It’s always good if we win, when fans come out here. When we’re not winning, we have to come up with more creative ways to get people to come out. It makes it a little easier when you’re winning.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To purchase images in this article email jkfalk2005@yahoo.com, or to see more go to www.http://lebanonsportsbuzz.com/gallery-11/.