If simplicity is in fact beautiful, Burlington’s Community Field is a masterpiece on par with anythine ever created by the likes of Picasso or Rembrandt.
It is a heaping slice of Americana served on a paper plate with a tall glass of lemonade on a warm summer’s day, a throwback to a time before our country lost its innocence and a reminder of all that is good in the world. I’ve already waxed poetic on why this place should be on every hardcore baseball fan’s bucket list for MiLB.com back in 2010. What I wrote back then reminded me exactly why I’ve been looking forward to my return trip there, even if it’s just passing through en route to Kansas City or somewhere else:
“The drive down Highway 34 in Iowa is as ordinary as they come.
Pass the fields of corn and soybeans, through towns like Columbus Junction and Wapello, far removed from a world of reality television and excess of just about any kind, and you’ll find a place called Burlington, home of the Midwest League’s Bees.
It’s there, right next to a strip mall and across the street from a Taco Bell, that you’ll find Community Field rising above the small-town skyline. It’s a place where the ballgames have the feel of a neighborhood block party, where beer is still served in cans, and you can order a pork tenderloin sandwich that’s about as big as your
head.”
A Burlington Bees game is the quintessential minor league baseball experience, a reminder of a time before every small town surrounding a major metropolis looked and felt exactly the same. And with good reason — there’s just not a whole lot going on in Burlington or in Des Moines County, Iowa for that matter. Having worked in the Quad Cities for three years, I made many visits to the greater Burlington area to cover stories, but only two visits to Community Field as a fan. Part of me wishes I would have made more.
The Oakland A’s low-A affiliate plays in the smallest market to host a full-season minor league team. The stadium does in fact sit next to a strip mall with a sports bar whose name I can’t recall but I’ve been told it’s quite a fun place to put back a few.
As you pull in off of Mount Pleasant Street, you’ll feel as though you’re attending a high school game or a fair and not a baseball game. Parking is on the grass surrounding the stadium, free of charge and first come first serve, although if you’re so inclined you can likely leave your car in the strip mall parking lot next door and nobody will mess with it.
Walk up to the ticket window to purchase your entry (only $2 for adult general admission on Mondays or $8 if you’re feeling fancy enough to purchase a box seat) and a friendly staffer will hand you a raffle ticket. But it’s not a raffle ticket, it is your actual ticket stub. This baffled me at first because other Midwest League teams go to great lengths to brand every last inch of their game experience. In Burlington, that’s a needless expense and it’s part of what makes the experience of attending a game so noteworthy.
There’s not much of a concourse at Community Field. Not that there needs to be though. People don’t go there for the entertainment in the areas surrounding the field, they go because this is their team, these are their players and they need to take a three hour break from life to catch up with each other. A giant sign on a brick wall near the concession stands acknowledges the team’s corporate sponsors, thanking them for keeping this not-for-profit operation afloat.
As for the concessions, as mentioned above they’re not unlike what you would find at a neighborhood block party. The pork tenderloin sandwich is spectacular, as it is most places in Iowa, and it’s huge. The beer is cold, canned, and served with a smile. If you get there early enough, you’ll catch the players warming up but not much else. The playing field is bereft of a jumbotron, an LED ribbon board, or any of the other accoutrements that have permeated the minor league baseball experience. There’s a PA system, some music and the company of the 800 or so strangers that show up on a typical game night. Getting a ticket is never a problem at Community Field although it should be because while Bees games lack any semblance of frills, they are some of the most fun you’ll have at a sporting event if only because of the sheer simplicity of it all.
The product on the field is standard minor league fare, though both the Royals (who they were affiliated with until recently) and A’s have sent a bevy of top of the line prospects through there. They do so with good reason — no matter where you’re from, Burlington feels like home. The stands are populated with people who know each other and enjoy talking to strangers. The crowd is relatively quiet during at bats, save for a rogue comedian or two hoping to rattle the opposing team’s cage.
BallParkReviews.com said what I’ve been trying to say for the past 800 words best — “While not the best place to take in a game, it’s nice to know that this experience can still be found at a few ballparks across the country.” I couldn’t agree more. Community Field is as bare bones of a ballpark as you’ll see anywhere. There’s nothing fancy about it, save for the ironwork spelling out “Bees” in cursive at either entrance. If you’re going to take a baseball roadtrip this summer, make sure you figure out a way to stop by Burlington on the way.
