Photos by Gregory Koch, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.29
Calfee Park 700 South Washington Ave Pulaski, VA 24301
Year Opened: 1935 Capacity: 2,500
Along the Appalachian League Trail: Pulaski
Located in Southwest Virginia, the Pulaski River Turtles are an Appalachian League baseball team that plays their home games at Calfee Park. The stadium opened in 1935 and was built by the WPA following the Great Depression. It was extensively renovated in 2015.
Until 2020, the Appalachian League was an affiliated minor league at the Rookie-Advanced level, and was many players' first professional stop. The Pulaski club was affiliated with many major league teams over the years, most recently the Yankees from 2015 to 2020.
After the 2020 season, Major League Baseball eliminated the Rookie Advanced level and the Appy League became a summer collegiate league for rising freshmen and sophomores affiliated with USA Baseball's Prospect Development Pipeline. Although the quality of play has gone down, the experience has stayed similar or perhaps even gotten more enjoyable as teams adopt their own identity rather than use that of the parent club they are many miles away from.
Food & Beverage 4
Most of the concessions at Calfee Park are served at a food court area down the first base line by the entry gate there. At the main stand, you will find an extensive menu including chicken tenders, cheeseburgers, and a barbecue sandwich (which in these parts invariably means pork), plus hot dogs, chili dogs, and pita pizza. Healthier options include a club wrap (with ham, turkey, cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayo, and bacon) and assorted salads. Many of the meal options also come with fries or chips. Soda (Pepsi products), bottled water, Gatorade, slushies, and chocolate milk from local vendor Duchess Dairy are also available. For fans of age, "adult refreshments" (i.e. beer) can be purchased too.
Other stands sell different items. One stand in the food court area sells ice cream and another sells hot candied nuts and lemonade. A stand down the third base line has cheesesteak.
You will certainly not go hungry at Calfee Park as there is plenty to eat here.
Atmosphere 4
Most seats at Calfee Park are chairbacks, although there are some general admission bleachers down the left field line. All seats are behind netting except part of the bleachers, although it is not intrusive. There are some club seats behind home plate which include in-seat waiter service, and reserved seats on either side, but the remainder of the seating is general admission. The lower and upper sections to the right of the club area (as you face the field) are reserved, as is the lower one to the left. Oddly enough, the lower sections down the first base line have a worse view than general admission seats, as the suites to the right of them are raised higher, inexplicably blocking the view of a significant portion of right field. Do not waste your money sitting here, although if you do, you should have no problem sitting in the general admission area instead. Many of the lower sections below the concourse are marked as reserved but no longer are. The seating down the third base line is partially covered, which is nice on a hot day, while the seating down the first base line is not.
There are may on-field contests between innings, some of which involve the mascots. When not participating in contests, Slider, a river turtle, and Calf-E, a cow (named after the stadium) can be seen roving the stands and interacting with fans. They also appear in short vignettes on the videoboard.
That same board, in left centerfield, shows player stats as well as the pitch speed to two decimals (which seems impossibly precise) while a smaller scoreboard in right-centerfield just shows the linescore.
Neighborhood 2
Calfee Park is located in a residential area of Pulaski with several houses overlooking the field. Supposedly David Justice hit a home run to one of the houses in right field when he played minor league ball here, although this may just be a legend. In any case, there is not much to do in the immediate vicinity, so you will have to drive to the Main Street area to do anything else.
Even along Main Street, there is not much going on and many local businesses have closed since the pandemic. Compadres Mexican and The Dawg House (which serves hot dogs) are some local restaurants fans might enjoy.
Fans 3
The River Turtles average about 1,300 fans a game, which puts them towards the middle of the Appalachian League. The crowd is a mix of young families, longtime fans who have seen many affiliated teams come and go over the years, and everyone in between. Kids can be seen lining up along the wall by the left field bleachers or hanging out near the visitor's bullpen by the left field gate hoping to get their hands on a ball, but are generally good about not getting in the way of other fans.
The crowd can get loud at times, but is generally not too involved. That is about what you'd expect for this level. The fans are just here to enjoy baseball on a warm summer's night, and there's nothing wrong with that.
Access 3
Pulaski is located off I-81 in the southwest part of Virginia via exit 94. You will then drive through residential neighborhoods, up and down hills, for a few miles, and perhaps wonder if your GPS has gotten you lost. It hasn't, this is just where the stadium is. There are several lots surrounding the stadium, both behind home plate and in left field, and gates in each location. The one near home plate will put you closer to the concession stands and most of the seating area. You will have to do some walking, including stairs or ramps, to get there from the left field gate but it is nothing too difficult.
Restrooms are available near both entrances and are of a sufficient size for the crowd. The concourse is pretty narrow in some places but is generally not an issue due to the crowd size.
Return on Investment 5
Club seats behind home plate are $15, and as mentioned above, include in seat wait service. Availability for these seats for single game seats is very low. Reserved seats in sections 1 and 3 are $11 above the concourse or $12 below. As mentioned, some of the lower rows of Section 1 are obstructed by the club, so we don't recommend you sit here. General admission seats are $5 and will get you in anywhere except sections 1 and 3 plus club and suite areas, although some sections are still marked reserved. Seniors can buy general admission tickets for just $1, although this must be done at the box office on gameday.
Concessions are affordable and parking is free
Overall, a Pulaski River Turtles game is an excellent value.
Extras 2
Look for the team store on the concourse selling River Turtles merchandise.
A second star for all the history at Calfee Park. Baseball has been played here since 1935, and many great players have made Pulaski their first professional stop on their trip to the majors. Notably alumni include David Justice, Mike Stanton, Mark Wohlers, and most recently, Anthony Volpe, who played here in 2019 during Pulaski's final season of affiliated ball.
Final Thoughts
On a summer night in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Southwest Virginia, a Pulaski River Turtles game is definitely an experience worth checking out. Although the team is no longer playing affiliated ball, they have managed to form their own identity, and baseball fans in the area should definitely head down to Calfee Park for a game.
תגובות