(April 11) — It’s a whole new ballgame for group outings to PeoplesBank Park. The York Revolution today announced the renovation of the ballpark’s former picnic pavilion to create two new group hospitality areas: the Bullpen Balcony and the Home Run Patio.
The team also announced the coming debut of Closer’s Bar, a new full-service bar made possible by recent changes in the Pennsylvania liquor code.
The team will preview the new areas and bar during Saturday’s Fan Fest pre-season celebration.
Revolution President Eric Menzer said the changes are a result of customer research.
“Despite our setting in a baseball stadium, our real business is hospitality and entertainment,” Menzer said. “In this line of work, you have to make sure the product is always fresh. After 10 years, we sensed the need to re-invent our offerings, and that was confirmed by our research.”
The two newly-named areas address the number one wish expressed by the group leaders interviewed by the team: the ability to ensure guests can gather in exclusive spaces, rather than having multiple groups intermingle. Dividing the old picnic space in half and adding new entrance gates and movable dividers gives each group exclusivity in the Bullpen Balcony for groups of at least 50 people and dedicated space in the Home Run Patio for groups as small as 20.
Guests in the Bullpen Balcony will also have a dedicated serving counter at the new Closer’s Bar, located on the first base side of the stadium, at the edge of the old picnic pavilion.
“One of the aspects that has not been reported on much from all the liquor code changes in Pennsylvania is the elimination of an obscure provision that prevented us from selling anything but beer on the concourse level of the ballpark,” said Menzer. “Ballpark traditionalists who enjoy a cold beer with their ball game may scoff, but we have heard from plenty of fans who would prefer to enjoy wine or a frozen margarita or pina colada at the ball game, and now we can accommodate them.”
Both new areas will also benefit from a complete replacement of all the drink shelves originally installed 10 years ago when the stadium was built, as well as the addition of new games and amusements for younger fans.
Menzer said the project is indicative of the Revolution’s continuing reinvestment in PeoplesBank Park to keep Revolution baseball fresh, engaging and at the center of the York community.
The team will host a ribbon cutting for the new areas and bar on Saturday as part of its 2017 Fan Fest. Gates open that day at 11 a.m. Tickets are $5 and available at www.yorkrevolution.com, by calling (717) 801-HITS, or by visiting the Apple Chevrolet Ticket Office.