Take Me Out to the Ballgame

The time is fast approaching to kick off the season of America’s favorite pastime: baseball. Along with this pastime comes another staple of American culture: ballpark food. There’s no better way to celebrate both community and fun rivalries during this baseball and softball season. 

As a member of the community, there are many ways to be involved in the season without participating in the game itself. Whether you’re buying a hotdog from the concession stand, working the stand yourself, or running your own tailgate in the ballpark or at home, you can help bolster community spirit and support for both small-town teams and the big leagues. 

With Saline County being widely considered a baseball town, showing your support locally can look different for each of us, but there is a very easy way for everyone to get involved: food! For smaller scale games played at Bishop Park or Sardis Ballpark, volunteering and buying food from concession stands is a great way to help funnel some money back to the small teams and their surrounding communities. You can also help clean up after a game, assist with concession inventory before and after an event, and even volunteer to help feed a team after their hard work on the field. 

You can also find ways to help your local high school baseball or softball team, whether that’s helping to feed the team, hosting a bake sale to raise money for travel and competitions or to simply support the teams overall by bringing some friends together to tailgate. Nothing boosts team morale more than a giant tailgating get together in their honor. You can roll out your grill that you’ve been waiting to use since the Super Bowl, make your favorite dips to serve alongside those Tostitos and start blasting your best tunes before the game. Invite your friends, family and neighbors to come celebrate your local team. 

And if cooking isn’t your forte, you can always stop by the Dickey-Stephens Park to catch an Arkansas Travelers game and some good food and entertainment for kids and adults alike, while the adults can have some additional fun in the beer garden. Nothing compares to sitting with your family in the stands and cheering on the Travelers while eating your favorite game day food, like some messy deep fried Oreos or a bacon cheeseburger with a refreshing Coca-Cola. 

Outside of the local scene, it’s always fun to get together in support of your favorite national team, hosting house parties and breaking out the family game day recipes. Concession food may be great, but it’s hard to beat a homemade burger and french fries, with a side of your favorite dip. Grab your friends for a fun night of watching the Cardinals game while eating food and placing bets you probably won’t win. 

These are only a few things you can do to help continue to build the backbone of your community while also spending time with your family and friends. If you tend to uphold your own yearly traditions, continue to do so, but also try to step out of your comfort zone: invite someone new in your community to tailgate with you; if you don’t normally volunteer for a local team, try it out. Your community will thank you for it. 

Try not to get caught up in the momentum of team rivalries and scoreboards, because regardless of how you choose to support your teams and spend this baseball and softball season, this is a time to not only give back to your community but also create lasting memories with those you love, while celebrating something you all love.

All-Star Lemonade
Great Refreshing drink to fill your ball field cups and coolers!

Ingredients

• 5 lemons
• 1 ¼ cups white sugar 
• 1 ¼ quarts water

Instructions

Peel the rinds from the 5 lemons and cut them into ½ inch slices. Set the lemons aside.

Place the rinds in a bowl and sprinkle the sugar over them. Let this stand for about one hour, so that the sugar begins to soak up the oils from the lemons.

Bring water to a boil in a covered saucepan and then pour the hot water over the sugared lemon rinds. Allow this mixture to cool for 20 minutes and then remove the rinds.

Squeeze the lemons into another bowl. Pour the juice through a strainer into the sugar mixture. Stir well, pour into the pitcher and pop it in the fridge! Serve with ice cubes. Optional: add fresh blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries for a little extra flavor.