Portland Sea Dogs make most of season that wasn't with outdoor dining, more golf
File Photo / Jim Neuger
While Slugger tells everyone to stay safe, Hadlock Field continues to innovate on safe alternatives to ballgames.
Dining on the baseball diamond?
That will be the case later this month when the Portland Sea Dogs open Hadlock Field for four nights of outdoor dining while baseball remains suspended until 2021.
The pop-up al fresco venue will be open for business on two consecutive weekends this month. Originally scheduled for Friday, July 24, and Saturday, July 25, the promotion has been expanded to the following weekend as well, for Friday, July 31, and Saturday, Aug. 1.
The new dates were added after the first two nights sold out in under eight hours, Chris Cameron, the Sea Dogs' vice president for communications and fan experience, told Mainebiz Thursday morning.
He said the Double-A Boston Red Sox affiliate got the idea for outdoor dining from Rhode Island's Pawtucket Red Sox, which launched a similar event in May he said was a big success.
For the Sea Dogs, the "Dining on the Diamond" promotion comes after the ballpark teamed up with Harvard Pilgrim Health Care earlier this month to host golfers last week on a temporary nine-hole course with tee boxes from the Skybox level.
"The golf went great," Cameron said. "We sold out of the 200-plus tee times in under 24 hours and received tremendous feedback from the golfers."
Golf will be back at Hadlock Field from Aug. 6-9. Cameron said those dates are already 75% booked.
He also said that T-shirts celebrating the Sea Dogs' "undefeated season" in 2020 were a hit, adding, "We sold over 500 shirts in the five days that they were available for pre-sale."
Cameron added that the team is working on a number of additional events to stay actively engaged with the community and hinted that mascot Slugger may make an appearance at the Hadlock summer restaurant.
"We are looking at ways that he would be able to make an appearance while maintaining safe social distancing options," he said.
As with golf, attendance will be limited for dining to allow safe social distancing protocols in accordance with local and state guidelines.
Fans will also have to wear masks except when seated at their table, and answer a series of self-screening questions before they are allowed to enter.
Though the setting is unique, the menu will be familiar to regular game goers, featuring ballpark favorites such as hot dogs, hamburgers and sausages along with chicken fingers, haddock sandwich, a barbecue chicken dinner and a steak tip dinner. Vegetarian options are also available.
Kids' meals include macaroni and cheese as well as chicken fingers. Appetizers include dog bowl nachos and helmet fries. Dessert is about as Maine as you can get, whoopie pies.
Tables will be aligned along the infield dirt, with at least 12 feet between them. Each will be cleaned and disinfected before the first seating and again before the second seating. Any trash will be disposed of between seatings.
The team said that it's is working closely with the city of Portland and the state officials to ensure compliance with procedures during the pandemic.
Fans can book times for Hadlock Field dining and golfing on he Portland Sea Dogs website, but spots are being snapped up faster than a Sea Dogs Biscuit on a hot summer day.
There are two seatings for dining on the designated dates, from 5 to 6:15 p.m. and from 7 to 8:15 p.m.
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