Photos by Marc Viquez, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.57
Northwestern Medicine Field 1 Cougar Trail Geneva, IL 60134
Year Opened: 1991
Capacity: 7,400
KC Cougars are All the Range
The Kane County Cougars have been playing baseball in the far west suburbs of Chicago since 1991 at what is now called Northwestern Medicine Field. Planning to bring a team to the area began in 1985 with county board members funding and building it for the 1988 season; however, it wouldn’t be until June 1990 when it was agreed by the league to relocate the Wausau Timbers to Geneva, Illinois, for the following season.
The ballpark opened as Kane County Events Park before being renamed Philip E. Elfstrom Stadium in 1993 for the man influential in bringing baseball to Geneva, Illinois. It underwent a $10.5 million renovation project that added second-level seating, covered concourse, and skybox suites in 2008. In 2020, digital menu boards, new inflatables in the KidZone, and a brand-new bar area for the upper-level suites were added.
The Cougars were once affiliated members of the Midwest League but were dumped by Major League Baseball after the 2020 season. The ball club would join the MLB Partner League American Association and has not looked back since becoming an independent team. The crowd, atmosphere, operations, and attendance have been relatively unchanged since the seismic shift in the minor leagues.
The Cougars franchise has been traced back to 1888 to Decatur, Illinois, in the Central Interstate League. The franchise played two seasons before assuming operations again in 1900 as the Decatur Commodores. The Commies would remain in town, with a few years off here and there, until 1974 when they relocated to Wausa, Wisconsin. In 1991, baseball arrived in Geneva and has remained here ever since.
Food & Beverage 4
There are 17 concession and beer stands at the stadium, with all but one of them, located on the main grandstand. There are three main food points called Cougar Concessions that are located behind the grandstand and down the first and third baseline. This is where you will find the typical food that most customers would expect at a game.
Hot dogs, brats, pulled pork sandwiches, burgers, and plant-based burgers are available for purchase. There are also mini-corn dogs and chicken tenders baskets with fries for purchase. Then there is The Bun Dinger, an Angus hot dog that is covered with chunks of bacon, bacon jam, and vanilla icing on a Long John doughnut.
The first base side of the grandstand features Ream’s Sausage Cart with bacon cheddar Polish, beer brats, and cheese curd brats for sale. The food truck patio has two food carts: Sammy’s Mexican Grill and Tamales+. Customers can enjoy tamales, Cuban quesadillas, street tacos, burrito bowls, and lizzo dip. The Atomic Pig Pen sells a giant barbecue sauce-soaked pork chop sandwich and a walking taco sauraus at their kiosk.
Charlie Fox’s Pizza offers cheese, sausage, and pepperoni pizzas by the slice
Down the third baseline, the concessions available include Whiskey Acres where bourbon slushies, spiked lemonade, cocktails, and old-fashions. The Creamery sells soft-serve ice cream, root beer floats, doughnuts, and Sno Cones.
Also, on the third base line is the Pride Craft Cave which allows fans to walk in a restaurant-style cooler and select from over 100 local beers, ciders, and hard seltzers. A few of the breweries include 93 Octane, Brother’s Chimp, Half Acre, Noon Whistle, and Go Brewing. On a hot, muggy day, it is the perfect place to cool off.
Atmosphere 4
Northwestern Medicine Field is an older minor league ballpark with a main concourse that does not wrap around the ball field. However, the atmosphere is festive with food trucks, lawn seating down both foul lines, a KidZone behind right field, and three wooden party decks for large groups. Plus, plenty of food and beverages to keep fans of all ages satisfied.
The seating bowl may not look filled, but plenty of fans take seats on the Ollie Cheap Seats on the lawn or behind the outfield wall in the KidZone, a massive kids play area that includes inflatable rides, a petting zoo, pony rides, and a snack shack. For anyone in this area, the game comes second to the other events in this area of the stadium.
A place for reflection down the first base grass lawn areas seats, Photo by Marc Viquez
The stadium offers a rock garden and floral display that incorporates a waterfall down the third baseline grass berm area. It provides an attractive piece to the ballpark and adds to the greenery that also includes trees down the first baseline. Fans are allowed to bring lawn chairs to watch the game from this area.
There are 2-3 food carts down the first baseline that feature Mexican cuisine, this area is also decorated with trees, a mist machine, and a wooden mile marker of all the teams in the league. Behind the backstop of the grandstand are two life-sized bobbleheads of the team’s mascots Ozzie and Annie, along with the club’s official team shop that has an abundance of merchandise and trinkets.
Neighborhood 3
The stadium is in Geneva on North Kirk Road and north of the Fox Valley Ice Arena and is home to the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League. The ballpark is easily accessible by car from the I-88 exit where the Chicago Premium Outlets are located. However, there is not anything within walking distance from the stadium which is located around 30 miles from Chicago.
Downtown St. Charles is less than 4 miles from the stadium and a destination before or after the game. The scenic downtown is located along the Fox River and features dining and drinking destinations, museums, breweries, and live music. A majority of the restaurants including The Office, Filling Station, and Evergreen offer patio seating during the summer months. Visitors can also enjoy ice cream from Kilmer’s, Kilwins, and Forever Yogurt.
There is plenty of hiking, boating, and biking along various trails. Visitors can also enjoy a riverboat ride down the river. After that, cool off at one of the city’s six breweries: 93 Octane, Riverlands, D&G, Pollyanna, Broken Brix Winery & Cidery, and Alter Brewing.
Fans 4
The Cougar fanbase has been supportive of the club since it moved from an affiliate league to an independent league in 2021. They have led all of the MLB Partner Leagues the past two seasons with well over 5,000 fans a game. This season the team is on pace for another leaderboard on the attendance side.
Access 3
The ballpark was built in 1991 and a 1987 template, which means that the concourse is narrow behind the backstop and with crowds ranging in the 5,000, can get a little cumbersome. However, the stadium also opens up down the first base and right field foul line to allow fans a lot more space that includes the lawn seats and KidZone and there are three main points of entry and exits into the stadium. For weekend games and promotional nights, arrive a little early.
Return on Investment 3
The price of a ticket can cost as low as $5 for the Ollie’s Cheap Seats in the lawn down each baseline, but they will have to purchase one week in advance to secure this price; otherwise, they are $10 any time after that. Reserved seats are $15 ($17 on game day) and box seats are $17 ($19 on game day). Box seats feature individual seating, while reserved seating is metal bleachers.
General parking is $10 and preferred parking is $15 when purchased in advance, otherwise, it is $20 per vehicle. This is a high price for a minor league game in the suburbs and by far the highest of any Chicagoland minor league ballparks (the next highest is $3 for the Chicago Dogs at Impact Field in Rosemont). This is by means not the fault of the Cougars as it has been a highly publicized dispute between the team and the municipality.
The Cougars offer daily promotions that include $2 hot dogs, beer, and pop on Thursdays, burgers and draft beers are $5 on Fridays, and Sunday's afternoon games from June to August give fans $15 in concessions cash when purchasing a box or reserve seat for the same price.
Extras 4
The Cougars earn a point for the massive KidZone that includes various rides, a snack shack, and a petting zoo. It is among the biggest I have seen at any level of affiliate or non-affiliate baseball in the country.
The second point is for the Pride Craft Cave which allows fans to walk in a restaurant-style cooler and select from over 100 local beers, ciders, and hard seltzers. On a hot, muggy day, it is the perfect place to cool off.
The Pride Craft Cave offers over 100 varieties of local beers and alcoholic beverages from around the area
The Cougars earn a third point for the $5 tickets for the lawn seats in advance. For local fans, an ideal way to to enjoy an inexpensive night at the ballpark and to offset the price of parking.
The fourth point is for the team’s website which is highly detailed on everything you need to know about attending games from ticket prices, weekly promos, parking information, and everything else you need to know about Northwestern Medicine Field.
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Follow all of Marc’s stadium journeys on Twitter @ballparkhunter and his YouTube channel. Email at Marc.Viquez@stadiumjourney.com
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