Voting open through March 11 at 10best.usatoday.com
Davenport, Iowa — Modern Woodmen Park has once again been nominated for “Best Minor League Ballpark” as part of the USA TODAY 10Best 2024 Readers’ Choice Awards. Selected by a panel of editors and industry experts for 2024, the home of the Quad Cities River Bandits was one of 20 ballparks and one of just four at the Single-A or High-A levels to be nominated. Modern Woodmen Park claimed the top spot in the publication’s last ranking in 2014.
“We were proud to have been named Best Minor League Ballpark in America by USA Today ten years ago and we are eager to defend our title,” said River Bandits owner Dave Heller. “Since their last ranking, we’ve added the only 110-foot-tall Ferris wheel and the only double-decker carousel in all of baseball, along with exciting thrill rides such as the Wind-Up, the Double Play, and the Genesis Kidz Coaster. We’ve also made all of the MLB-mandated player facility improvements and completely redone the suite level and the video board – so the best keeps getting better. We want to win this contest and show the rest of the country that some of the best things in America, like Modern Woodmen Park, can be found right here in the Quad Cities.”
Fans can vote for Modern Woodmen Park and see the full list of nominees at 10best.usa.com under the “Readers’ Choice” tab. Voting is open to the public with no sign-up required and ends on Monday, March 11 at 11:59 p.m. EDT. Fans are allowed to vote once per day per browser. Winners will be announced on 10Best on Friday, March 22 at 12:00 p.m. EDT.
Built in 1931, Modern Woodmen Park is the fourth-oldest ballpark in Minor League Baseball and has been home to 10 affiliated Davenport-based clubs and hundreds of future Major League players. Since the Quad Cities franchise was purchased by Main Street Baseball in 2007, Modern Woodmen Park has undergone several major renovations and seen numerous additions including a 110-foot-tall Ferris Wheel and its iconic amusement deck, which boasts the only double-decker carousel in baseball along with numerous other in-park amusements for fans of all ages. Named one of the nation’s best by the likes of Bleacher Report, Ballpark Digest, and Parade Magazine, the ballpark also sports its own cornfield, a 690-square-foot 4K video board, 20 luxury suites, and five unique group areas.
ABOUT THE BANDITS: The 2024 season marks the River Bandits’ fourth year as the High-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals and 63rd as members of the Midwest League. In 2021, the River Bandits became the first team in Midwest League history to win four championships in ten seasons (2011, 2013, 2015 and 2021) and were named Ballpark Digest’s Minor League Baseball Team of the Year. The Bandits anchor the Quad Cities sports market, which The Sports Business Journal named the top minor league sports market in the country in 2015 and second-best minor league market in its 2017 follow-up ranking. In 2015, 2017, and again in 2019, the River Bandits earned Ballpark Digest’s award for “Best Charitable Works” in Minor League Baseball, the only club to win that coveted award three times. For more information, visit www.riverbandits.com or contact River Bandits General Manager Paul Kleinhans-Schulz at (563) 324-3000.
***Story and photo courtesy of the Quad City River Bandits***
