Coca-Cola Park (Allentown)

Coca-Cola Park
Location	1050 Iron Pigs Way Allentown, PA 18109
Broke ground	September 6, 2006
Opened	March 30, 2008
Owner	Lehigh County
Operator	Lehigh County/Lehigh Valley IronPigs
Surface	Grass
Construction cost	$50.25 million ($51.3 million in 2011 dollars[1])
Architect	Populous
Project Manager	Alvin H. Butz Inc.[2]
Capacity	10,000 (8,100 seats) [3]
Field dimensions	Left field - 334 ft. Left Center Field - 374 ft. Deep left center field - 387 ft. Left of center field - 409 ft. Center field - 400 ft. Right of center field - 398 ft. Right Center field - 369 ft. Right field - 325 ft.
Tenants
Lehigh Valley IronPigs (2008-present)

Coca-Cola Park is a 8,100-seat baseball park in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. It is the home field for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the Triple-A level minor league baseball affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Coca-Cola Park accommodates 10,000 fans, including auxiliary areas (Capital BlueCross Lawn and Dugout Suites),^[3] and cost $50.25 million to build.^[4] Naming rights to the stadium were awarded to Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of the Lehigh Valley on March 7, 2007.^[5]

Features

The stadium features the Majestic Clubhouse, which houses all team apparel. The Bud Light Trough is an area immediately behind the right field wall that provides patrons the opportunity to stand and socialize while still watching the game. The "pig" theme is used in the majority of concession stands and stores. The PPL Picnic Patio is an area immediately adjacent to left field that features buffet style food and can be booked for group outings. The club level of the stadium features an indoor concourse with access to the club level seats, the suites and the two PenTeleData Party Porches. The VIP Dugout Suites are situated immediately behind home plate and provide a unique viewing experience.

The stadium maximum capacity is 10,000 (+1,900 for the grass section). There is one main scoreboard which is located at the 400' mark on the field. The scoreboard, which is the largest in all of the minor leagues, consists of a 22' LED screen as well as a 8'3" classic Coca-Cola bottle which also serves as a firework launcher when a run is scored. Coca-Cola Park has a wide variety of seating, including grass fields, picnic benches, fold-down seats, and standing room. The initial estimate of the IronPigs stadium was $48.4 million. Its final price tag of $50.25 million, just 4 percent over the estimate, makes the minor league field one of the most expensive in the U.S.^[4]

More information

View of Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, Pennsylvania from outdoor press box.

Groundbreaking ceremonies for the new ballpark were held on September 6, 2006,^[6] and construction was completed in February 2008.^[3] Coca-Cola Park was built on land formerly owned by LSI Corporation.^[7] The field dimensions and wall heights are the same as Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, except left field is five feet deeper (334 feet to the foul pole compared to 329), center field is one foot shorter and the right field foul pole is five feet closer (325 feet in Allentown compared to 330 feet at Citizens Bank Park).^[8]

With its completion, Coca-Cola Park is Allentown's newest stadium, but it is not the city's largest. That distinction belongs to J. Birney Crum Stadium, which has a seating capacity in excess of 15,000^[9], and is the second largest outdoor high school stadium in Pennsylvania.^{[citation needed]}

The layout of Coca-Cola Park is slightly different from most ballparks, as the main entrance is located on the right field line rather than the common location behind home plate. Fans with club seating tickets, however, do have a designated entrance behind home plate.

A surprising moment of the park's opening season came on July 2, 2008, when musician John Mayer attended a Lehigh Valley IronPigs game and caught a foul ball. Mayer had kept a low profile until the television cameras spotted him with the ball. Mayer eventually autographed the ball, which now sits in the Majestic Clubhouse Store.

The park hosted its first major non-sporting event on July 14, 2009, with a concert headlined by Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp. More than 10,000 people attended the five-hour show, which was sold out. Following the event's success, Coca-Cola Park management indicated there was a good possibility other concerts would be held at the park in the future.^[10]

Seats and pricing

Members of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees take batting practice before the Opening Day 2009 game versus the Lehigh Valley IronPigs at Coca-Cola Park.

Tickets for seats at Coca-Cola Park are much less expensive than those at major league ballparks. Club Level seats are $14.00 each, Field Level seats cost $9.00 each, and general admission (Capital BlueCross Lawn and standing room) are only $6.00 per ticket.

Location and transportation

The stadium is located on the east side of Allentown, near two buildings owned by LSI Corporation. The eastern segment of American Parkway provides access to the main entrance to the stadium. U.S. Route 22, one of the primary thoroughfares in the Lehigh Valley, serves outside visitors. Union Boulevard and Airport Road serve as local arterials to the stadium.^[11][12] Parking is available via several lots on-site; the cost is $3.

References

1. ^ Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–2008. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
2. ^ http://www.baseballpilgrimages.com/minors/allentown.html
3. ^ ^{a b c} "Stadium Info". Lehigh Valley IronPigs official website. 2007-03-08. p. A1. http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/phillies/20080331_IronPigs_are_flying_in_Lehigh_Valley.html. Retrieved 2007-03-08. ^{[dead link]}
4. ^ ^{a b} Isherwood, Darryl R. (2008-10-25). "Stadium's final cost hits $50.25 million". The Morning Call (Allentown, Pennsylvania). http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-b1_5stadium-r.6642216oct25,0,6880166.story. Retrieved 2008-10-25. 
5. ^ Schuler, Jeff (2007-03-08). "Play Ball at...Coca-Cola Park; Local bottling company, Lehigh Valley IronPigs sign deal for east Allentown stadium.". The Morning Call. p. A1. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/mcall/access/1229391531.html?dids=1229391531:1229391531&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Mar+8%2C+2007&author=Jeff+Schuler+Of+The+Morning+Call&pub=Morning+Call&edition=&startpage=A.1&desc=Play+Ball+At...Coca-Cola+Park+**+Local+bottling+company%2C+Lehigh+Valley+IronPigs+sign+deal+for+east+Allentown+stadium.. Retrieved 2007-07-28. 
6. ^ "Ceremonial Groundbreaking for Stadium". WFMZ-TV (Allentown, Pennsylvania). 2006-09-06. http://wfmz.com/cgi-bin/tt.cgi?action=viewstory&storyid=19890. Retrieved 2009-04-07. ^{[dead link]}
7. ^ Bull, John M.R.; John L. Micek (2004-11-19). "Governor kills stadium funding plan; Lawmakers vow to find money for ballpark at Allentown's LSI site, but options are running out". The Morning Call (Allentown, Pennsylvania): p. A1. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/mcall/access/739121431.html?dids=739121431:739121431&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Nov+19%2C+2004&author=John+M.R.+Bull+and+John+L.+Micek+Of+The+Morning+Call&pub=Morning+Call&edition=&startpage=A.1&desc=Governor+kills+stadium+funding+plan+**+Lawmakers+vow+to+find+money+for+ballpark+at+Allentown%27s+LSI+site%2C+but+options+are+running+out.. Retrieved 2007-07-28. 
8. ^ "About Citizens Bank Park". About.com: a part of The New York Times Company. http://philadelphia.about.com/cs/phillies/a/citizensbankpk2.htm. Retrieved 2007-07-28. 
9. ^ "J. Birney Crum Stadium". Northampton Laurels F.C. website. http://northamptonlaurelsfc.com/stadium.aspx. Retrieved 2007-07-28. 
10. ^ Moser, John J. (July 15, 2009). "A great time was had with Bob Dylan at Coca-Cola Park". The Morning Call. 
11. ^ "ballparkdigest.com: BALLPARK VISITS". BALLPARK digest. http://www.ballparkdigest.com/visits/index.html?article_id=1155. Retrieved 2010-07-26. 
12. ^ "Directions to Coca-Cola Park". Lehigh Valley IronPigs official website. http://www.ironpigsbaseball.com/cocacola/directions/. Retrieved 2007-07-28. 

External links

• Coca-Cola Park
• Photographs of Coca-Cola Park - Rochester Area Ballparks
• Coca-Cola Park Views - Ball Parks of the Minor Leagues

Coordinates: 40°37′34″N 75°27′9″W / 40.62611°N 75.4525°W / 40.62611; -75.4525