Wichita, KS

Park # 24

What I Remember

It was only the third of May but the start of a three-day Cinco De Mayo Fiesta was taking place at Lawrence Dumont Stadium when we pulled into the parking lot on a Friday evening and there were great smells everywhere. We were staying with old family friends and we had dinner with them before the game so we didn’t sample from any of the multiple food carts and vendors but I was sorry not to.

The ballpark was one of the few at the time that was in the downtown area of the city and I liked being able to get a sense for the city from our seats. Most newer minor league ballparks are built downtown but back in 1991 it was an unusual treat.

I remember Charley the Dancing Beer Vendor. He would sell beer while the game was going on but between innings unleash his true talent doing acrobatic dances on top of the dugouts. Sue interviewed him and he was a hit on the MLB Magazine segment.

I also remember Wichita’s unusual playing surface. Dumont Stadium had an artificial turf infield and grass outfield, a combination I had never seen before.

Like many of the parks on our trip, though, Lawrence Dumont Stadium is gone. The park was torn down three years ago and a Triple A team, the Wichita Wind Surge now plays in a new stadium on the same site.

The Game(s)

San Antonio Missions 5 Wichita Wranglers 0

The Box (Click on the arrows to see more images)

The Trip