Veterans Memorial Stadium (Cedar Rapids)

Overview

Veterans Memorial Stadium is located southwest of downtown Cedar Rapids on Rockford Road. ImOn Ice Arena and Kingston Stadium, home to Kennedy, Jefferson, and Washington high school football, are both adjacent to Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Veterans Memorial Stadium has a total seating capacity of 5,300. It has 12 luxury suites and several sections that are reserved for group outings, including a mezzanine terrace in the upper deck behind first base, a pavilion in left field, and a pre-game picnic area.

In addition to Kernels games, Veterans Memorial Stadium hosted the Midwest League All-Star Game in 2004, and again in 2016. On July 9, 2005, the stadium hosted its first concert, featuring Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson. The American Legion World Series was held there in 2006. It is also occasionally used for high school and college baseball games, including the annual American Rivers Conference baseball tournament. It hosted the annual "Corridor Classic" between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Northern Iowa Panthers until the University of Northern Iowa discontinued its baseball program.

The city of Cedar Rapids owns Veterans Memorial Stadium, which was named to honor veterans of all wars, and the city's Veterans Memorial Commission operates and maintains the stadium. The Linn County All Veterans Memorial is located next to the stadium. In March 2004 the Kernels and the city agreed to a new 40-year lease agreement that reduced the ballclub's monthly payments from the original 20-year agreement that they had signed when the new stadium opened.

In March 2008 the Kernels sold the naming rights of the playing field to the Dale and Thomas Popcorn Company. The playing field was known as Dale and Thomas Popcorn Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium for the 2008 season. The field was renamed Perfect Game Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium when Perfect Game USA, a baseball scouting company based in Cedar Rapids, bought the naming rights to the field in March 2009 in a five-year contract.

In 2017, the stadium won a bid to host the NCAA Division III College World Series from 2019 to 2022, after long time host of the event the Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute, WI chose not to bid on the rights to host the event after 2018.

History

The original Veterans Memorial Stadium was built in 1949 for the Cedar Rapids Rockets of the Central Association. It later became home to the Cedar Rapids Indians (1950–1952), the Cedar Rapids Raiders (1953–1957), and the Cedar Rapids Braves (1958–1961) of the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League. From 1962 until its demolition, Cedar Rapids' Midwest League teams—which went through several name changes before becoming the Kernels in 1993—played their home games there.

The new Veterans Memorial Stadium was dedicated on April 7, 2002, but that day's scheduled game against the Quad City River Bandits was rained out. The first games were not played until April 9, when the Kernels swept a doubleheader from the River Bandits, 5–4 and 3–0.

The ballpark was damaged by a derecho storm which hit Cedar Rapids on August 10, 2020. Damage was estimated at $1 million, with outfield walls, an electronic ribbon advertising board, and a light pole beyond right-center field all blown down.

References

References

1. (March 4, 2002). "Stadiums Under Construction". SportsBusiness Journal.
2. "Perfect Game Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium". MWLGuide.
3. Smith, Rick. (June 14, 2001). "Ground Broken for Kernels' New Park". [[The Gazette (Cedar Rapids).
4. Smith, Rick. (June 17, 2003). "Ballpark Cost Rose $1 Million". [[The Gazette (Cedar Rapids).
5. "Dan Hartman – Experience".
6. "Veterans Memorial Stadium". Smith Seckman Reid, Inc..
7. Smith, Rick. (March 9, 2004). "Vets Commission OK's Stadium Lease Extension". [[The Gazette (Cedar Rapids).
8. Johnson, Jeff. (March 12, 2008). "Kernels Sell Naming Rights to Field". [[The Gazette (Cedar Rapids).
9. Foss, Justin. (March 25, 2009). "Kernels Ballpark Gets New Name". [[KCRG-TV.
10. (May 25, 2018). "The final College World Series at Fox Cities Stadium". [[WBAY]].
11. (April 18, 2017). "Cedar Rapids' Memorial Stadium to be the new home for the D-III World Series in 2019". D3baseball.
12. Koolbeck, Mike. (2001). "History of Cedar Rapids Professional Baseball". Cedar Rapids Kernels Souvenir Program.
13. Smith, Rick. (April 7, 2002). "Stadium Effort Began 7 Years Ago". [[The Gazette (Cedar Rapids).
14. Hlas, Mike. (August 29, 2001). "Fond Farewell Veterans Memorial Stadium". [[The Gazette (Cedar Rapids).
15. Johnson, Jeff. (April 10, 2002). "Kernel Magic". [[The Gazette (Cedar Rapids).
16. (August 12, 2020). "Veterans Memorial Stadium, ImOn Ice Arena sustain severe damage in Monday's derecho". [[The Gazette (Cedar Rapids).
17. (January 26, 2021). "Derecho damage to Cedar Rapids ice arena and ballpark is around $7 million". The Gazette.