Barnstormers Come Home

Main entrance to Clipper Magazine Stadium, Jun-2005.

A single level of stadium seats is topped off by 22 luxury boxes.

Like many new parks, the outfield wall is asymmetrical.

Chronological Tour: Stop 288

• Location: Prince and Frederick streets, Lancaster, Pa. (map it using Google Maps)
• Opened: 2005
• Home team: Lancaster Barnstormers, Atlantic League (2005-23), Stormers (2024-present)
• Capacity: 6,000

Rating: 4 baseballs

A 16-year effort eventually led to the construction of this ballpark, just north of the center of town although the main street that runs by it is only open to southbound traffic. Likewise, whereas at most fields the batter faces northeast, here the batter faces northwest, making for interesting sun angles during night games in midsummer. The sun sets over left-center field – which I suppose isn’t as bad as facing due west, as in Pittsfield, Mass., and Bakersfield, Calif. I didn’t see this phenomenon, as I attended a Sunday afternoon game.

Where’s the scoreboard? Oh, there it is!

One problem I have with the park is the absence of a standard scoreboard. The only score indication visible to fans behind the plate or along the third-base side is a matrix board in right field, which shows the score during the inning but switches to advertisements between innings, or to a photo of the relief pitcher at the time of a pitching change. Management is aware of that and plans to introduce additional score displays, mindful of the balance between entertainment for the casual attendee and information for the serious fan. A monochrome matrix board is mounted above the third-base stands; it always displays the score during the game but is not visible to all fans. An additional board is planned for the first-base stands.

I had a few other nits to pick with the park in 2017. For one, the restrooms are located well down the foul lines, not anywhere near home plate (there is a family restroom near the press box). For another, the club has outsourced its concessions to Legends Hospitality, and they have chosen to charge sales tax on top of the listed prices, rather than including the tax as is common at most venues. The club employee at the fan relations table could not explain Legends’ action and, indeed, was not aware of the practice. Legends does the same thing at Steinbrenner Field, their flagship ballpark.

Clipper Magazine, the naming sponsor, is a free-distribution monthly magazine containing discount coupons and other advertisements from local sponsors. The local edition is targeted mainly to Lancaster County.

Ownership shortened the name of the team to “Stormers” for the 2024 season and introduced a snorting-bull logo.