For the July 12th installment of my National Hot Dog Month Celebration, I turned the convertible north to Holman Stadium in Nashua, New Hampshire- the home of the Nashua Silver Knights.
Here I am posing with the Nashua Silver Knights "Love Bug" parked outside the stadium.
Holman Stadium has that old timey, minor league ball park aura- it's inexplicable, but you can feel it.
Holman Stadium was built in 1937 and named after Charles Frank Holman, who contributed $55,000 for the project. The stadium was home to farm teams for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Brooklyn Dodgers, and California Angels (plus a host of other minor league outlets) over the years.
The stadium was renovated in 2002 to give it a face lift and add luxury and press boxes. It is now the home of the Nashua Silver Knights of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League. The FCBL was formed in 2010 to provide collegiate baseball players with a summer league in which to showcase their skills. It's a wood bat league and is very similar to the Cape Cod Baseball League. There are currently four teams in the FCBL: The Martha's Vineyard Sharks of Martha's Vineyard, MA; the Seacoast Mavericks of Rochester, NH; the Torrington Titans of Torrington, CT; and the Nashua Silver Knights. There are rumors of expansion for the league too, but we'll have to wait and see.
You really couldn't ask for a better venue for a baseball game. There are no bad seats in the house and there is plenty of leg room in the seats (unlike my beloved Fenway).
It's an intimate park with just a little more than 4,300 seats, a gorgeous field, and even a play area for the kids. It's a great place for a family night out or an outing for a Little League team without breaking the bank.
As the patrons started coming in, I thought I'd find my way around.
Wally, the Green Monster, took tickets at the gate.
I couldn't resist!
I eventually found Tim Geromini, Director of Business Development for the Silver Knights. He read about my quest to eat a hot dog a day for National Hot Dog Month and invited me down to the ball park to throw out the first pitch and eat the ceremonial first hot dog for their $1000 hot dog night. Fans were treated to $1.00 Kayem hot dogs and had a chance to win $1, $2, $5, $10, $20 or even $50. The vendors stuffed bills in between the wrappers. The Knights offer different promotions (Thursday night is dollar draft beer night) on different days- so there' bound to be something for everyone.
Before we knew it, it was time for the National Anthem.
Here I am throwing out the first pitch- it was high and outside, but I didn't skip it!
Here's me CHOWING DOWN the ceremonial first hot dog.
The concession crew had time to pose for a picture...
...before the big rush.
Condiments are self serve- NO KETCHUP PACKETS COULD BE FOUND!!!
This couple fed a family of 6 for only twenty bucks!
This lucky diner won five bucks.
I never did find the lucky winner of the $50 hot dog, but Veggyhead and I were treated to a very exciting game capped by an eighth inning, 4 run rally that saw DH James Katsiroubas blast a three run homer over the left field fence to seal the deal for the Silver Knights' 7-4 victory.
Hopkinton's own Mark Sanborn, Knights' first baseman (and Snappy Dogs fan) was ecstatic about the win. He hit a key base hit to keep the rally going- much to the delight of his dad, who was in attendance.
The Silver Knights have a great venue and play an exiting and entertaining brand of baseball in a very fan and family friendly environment. It's nice to be able to take the gang out to the ball park without having to take out a home equity line!
TWO THUMBS WAAAAY UP!
If you go catch a game, when you go to the concession stand, make sure you tell them "The Hotdogman sent me!"
