Community Park, St. Catharines, Ont.

Where a Certain Lady Sang

Walking into St. Catharines Community Park, Aug-1996.

The park, including quirky scoreboard, in all its glory.

Chronological Tour: Stop 100

Quick Facts:

Location: Seymour Avenue at Merritt Street, St. Catharines, Ont.
Opened: 1986 (for pro baseball)
Closed: 1999 (for pro baseball)
Home team: St. Catharines Blue Jays (1986-94), Stompers (1995-99), New York-Penn League
Capacity: 2,500

Rating: 2 baseballs

For a number of years, the Toronto Blue Jays owned the team in St. Catharines. However, they were unwilling to put money into the marketing of the club or upgrading the stadium, and there was talk about moving the team stateside – after 1993, they were the only Ontario team in the New York-Penn League.

However, a community-based group bought the club and renamed it the Stompers, a fitting name because it was in Ontario’s wine country. They helped bolster attendance by clever promotion, including the introduction of a mascot of sorts. Alas, the club found itself on the opposite side of the Niagara River for 2000, completing a 400-mile (640 km) journey to become the second team in the New York-Penn League to play within the limits of the City of New York.

You know the expression “It ain’t over ’til the fat lady sings”, right? Well, here at Community Park, at least after the 1996 victory I saw, it wasn’t over until “a certain lady sings”. It was a garish-looking man in a get-up that was supposed to make him look like an operatic diva. The “lady” bounced through the stands, lip-syncing to an aria.

Game	Date	League	Level	Result
217	Thu 15-Aug-1996	NY-Penn	A-	ST CATHARINES 7, Auburn 5

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