Power of Appalachian Power Park

Official Review by Joshua Guiher, Stadium Journey Regional Correspondent

The West Virginia Power (Class A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates) play at Appalachian Power Park, which opened in 2005 and holds 4,500 fans. I would consider it the best of the minor league stadiums I have visited. A clean park that looks like it was just built yesterday with a courteous staff who quickly and warmly answered any of my questions.

Food & Beverage    5

The main featured restaurant is located inside of a huge brick building out in right field and is called the Power Alley Grill. They are open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner, so the team can earn revenue even during the off season or when the team is on the road. Their signature item is called the "Power Pounder" which comes with provolone cheese, fries and coleslaw right on the sandwich with your choice of meat. I went with the pulled pork, but they offer a wide range of choices from bacon and egg, to different lunch meats to a veggie burger.

One of the nice things about the Power Alley Grill is that GameStop has installed a few X boxes, PlayStation 3's and a Wii for kids to play for free. A neat way to keep them entertained, especially if there is a rain delay or something.

There are 8 other food stands that are each more specialized. I will just cover two or three basic items out of each stand, as there is a fair amount of overlap.

Some items at the Italian stand were pizza ($5, $5.50 with 1-topping, pepperoni rolls ($4.75) and meatball sliders ($6). The All-American Cafe featured hot dogs and corn dogs ($2.50), chicken tender and fry basket ($6.50), and cheeseburgers ($4). The Nacho & Barbeque stand offered signature items like chicken tanga nachos ($6.50), beef brisket nachos ($6.50), pulled pork nachos ($6.50) or you could get any of those three meats on a sandwich in a combo with chips for $7.

The snack type items like peanuts ($3.25), cracker jacks ($3), chips ($1) popcorn ($2.50), pretzels ($2.75) and chili ($1) varied by stand. Of course you could just visit the Tasty Treats stand and get a plethora of snacks like the ice cream helmet ($3.50), funnel fries ($2.50), dippin' dots ($4), brownie bites ($3.50), cotton candy ($3.50), cookies ($2) frozen lemonade ($4) and candy ($3.25).

One of the most interesting stands I have seen anywhere was a stand- alone cart near the press box that offered organic stadium hot dogs ($3.50), organic smoked pork brat ($5.25), chicken & apple sausage ($4.25). There was also another organic grill cart nearby that offered a veggie burger, an organic beef burger, an organic turkey burger and a buffalo burger all for $6.25 each including chips.

Soda was Pepsi products in 20oz bottles ($3), Aquafina ($3) and they also served beer on tap ($4.50), domestic cans ($4.25), and premium bottles ($4.25).

Atmosphere    4

The atmosphere is very different at Appalachian Power Park. If you sit near home plate, there is an eccentric who throws toast into the stands every time the Power strikeout an opposing batter. Yes, the team installed a power plug right at his seat and he has a small table and a toaster that he can make fresh toast for each strikeout. When an opposing batter gets two strikes, he starts up the toast and a "Power up the Toaster" chant. Once strike three is called, he tosses the toast out to the cheering fans. He also has signs and cheers for every Power player, basically to the point of overkill.

There is another fan named Billy Bob who has a hyena type laugh that he unleashes after each strikeout as well. The rest of the fans are more traditional, enjoying some beer and food along with the game.

The team puts on a few between inning promotions, but nothing too outlandish. There was a big lull waiting for the fireworks while the local GMC dealership showed off some vehicles. It was a bit of a mood killer it seemed, but fireworks are expensive so I understand.

Neighborhood    4

The immediate area around Appalachian Power Park is pretty nice. Just three or four blocks away there is a farmers market, called Capitol Market with a few different places to shop and get different foods. There is a meat market, a chocolate store, a wine & cheese store and a sushi restaurant called Soho's to name a few. On the other side of the ballpark is a hospital and parking garage. The rest of the immediate area is a mix of businesses and housing complexes.

While I wouldn't want to venture into certain parts of Charleston by mistake real late at night, I think that can be said of about any city; plus those areas are a good distance from where the park is located. If you plan your trip in the fall, you can catch a football game at one of the local colleges in conjunction with your ballpark trip. In fact, the University of Charleston stadium is only about 3/4 of a mile straight down the road from Appalachian Power Park.

With the Power Alley Grill being right in the stadium, I didn't venture too far when looking for a beer after the game, although someone suggested a bar called Tricky Fish.

Fans    4

The night I went was both fireworks night and Military Appreciation Night where all military, past and present, were admitted free. However, the park was still a bit short of a sellout and I was told the crowd was large compared to a typical evening.

As mentioned in the atmosphere section, a few excitable fans really keep the rest of the fans into the game. If that is a turnoff for you I suggest you choose your seat accordingly, maybe something a fair distance down the first base line. I thought the crowd was well engaged, letting the umpires know if they didn't agree with a call, but not going overboard. When the team blew a 7-1 lead to lose, the fans expressed a few groans but didn't boo or berate the home team like some other places I have visited.

The game I attended had a college aged guy play the star spangled banner on a guitar much like the infamous Jimi Hendrix rift from Woodstock. It was really good and the fans gave a great ovation.

Access    5

The park is just a block off of the Interstate and parking is easy to find. I found free street parking about a block away, but the team also runs a lot right by the Power Plant Grill where you can park for $3.

The concourse is real wide at the park, making it easy to walk around, and the stands only have approximately 15 rows so you get to watch the game up close.

The bathroom was clean and good sized so not much to report there.

Return on Investment    5

I truly felt the experience at Appalachian Power Park was top notch. You can get in for just $5 or $7 for the best box seats. Couple that with an amazing park and you should have a great time at Appalachian Power Park, especially if you like to watch the peculiar fans.

Extras    3

Out near left center, beside the scoreboard, was the standard kids' zone, costing $5 for an all-night, all-you-can-enjoy pass. Unfortunately I couldn't figure out how to get out there without leaving the stadium. An extra point for having one of the coolest logos in all of minor league sports and nice merchandise to go with it. Final extra point for security actually cutting a guy off from drinking who was stumbling around pretty good, although the people on the party deck sure seemed to be just as drunk.

Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed my visit to Appalachian Power Park and certainly will go back. It's a new park that doesn't have much of its own history yet, but baseball has been played in Charleston for a long time and the antics of the fans have carried over, giving the team a nice core following, setting a good, enjoyable atmosphere.