Sioux Falls Stadium - Sioux Falls Canaries

Photos by David Welch, Stadium Journey

Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.29

Sioux Falls Stadium 1001 NW Avenue Service Rd Sioux Falls, SD 57104

Sioux Falls Canaries website

Sioux Falls Stadium website

Year Opened: 1941

Capacity: 5,462

Welcome to the Birdcage

Baseball in Sioux Falls predates South Dakota’s statehood; the city fielded its first professional teams in the mid-1880s, including the Hub City Nine and the Yellow Kids. The Yellow Kids earned the nickname Canaries for their bright yellow uniforms, a name that would become tied to Sioux Falls baseball for decades.

The modern professional era began in 1902, when the first official Canaries took the field at “The Oval” in the Iowa-South Dakota League. That team and league lasted just two seasons, but the name endured. In the 1920s, the city saw another run of professional baseball with the Soos, who also played under the Canaries moniker in the Dakota League, and later the Tri-State League. Sioux Falls also hosted the collegiate summer Packers of the Basin League, where a young, future Hall of Famer named Don Sutton spent the summer of 1964.

That same year, Sioux Falls Stadium opened its doors and has since hosted various incarnations of the Canaries – the team in its current form started play at Sioux Falls Stadium in 1993, first as members of the independent Northern League until 2005, after which they joined the American Association, another independent baseball league, the following year. Since that time the Canaries have claimed their lone American Association championship, in 2008.

Food & Beverage   3

The concessions menu at Sioux Falls Stadium covers just about everything that would be expected at the ballpark. Hot dogs, nachos, and pizza are joined by brats, burgers, fries, cheese curds, walking tacos, and chicken fingers. A toppings bar adds the ability to personalize burgers and dogs, while snacks are simple but solid, including flavored popcorn, candy, chips, and plenty of ice cream treats for hot summer nights.

On the drink side there are Coke products, Powerade, Body Armor, lemonade, and bottled water. A full bar sits under the stands behind home plate, and the canned selection leans heavily on domestic light beer with Pacifico, Corona, and Modelo mixed in. Seltzers and canned cocktails like Cayman Jack margaritas, High Noon, and Carbliss vodka round things out. What is noticeably absent is much by the way of local craft beers, which feels like a bit of a disappointment.

Overall, concessions are varied enough at Sioux Falls Stadium to satisfy a ballpark craving, but there isn’t much that makes it stand out as uniquely Sioux Falls.

Atmosphere   3

Fans walking into Sioux Falls Stadium are greeted by a large sign over the entryway that reads “Welcome to the Birdcage”, and the Canaries branding continues once you are inside the stadium via a giant yellow Adirondack chair featuring the team logo, as well as a tall, white, ornate clock standing just inside the front gates, along the main concourse.

Inside, a sea of blue seats nicely compliments nicely the Canaries yellow and blue color scheme. The seating bowl is noticeably separate from the press box and suites, added later as an upgrade, stretching from behind home plate up the first base side; this addition gives the ballpark a bit of a disjointed feel. Along the third base line, a small grassy patch serves as a playground of sorts, usually filled with kids running around.

The main scoreboard, a large video board in right-center field, provides a live game feed, player stats, and pitch details like speed and type. In addition, a smaller, more limited scoreboard sitting on the retaining wall behind third base provides only the basics, such as score, inning, and count. A unique twist is the strikeout zip line where each K recorded by a Canaries pitcher gets clipped to a line, and is then sent sliding down, a quirky feature you don’t see elsewhere.

The playing surface is its own unique feature, a sports turf infield consisting of both “grass” and “dirt” paired with a natural-grass outfield. It is an unusual combination, though not unheard of – in the 1980s and 1990s the Memphis Chicks used a similar hybrid setup, with an Astroturf infield and grass outfield.

The game presentation is what you’d expect at this level: ad reads, fan cams, and mid-inning contests. The PA announcer adds some charm with a steady stream of dad jokes, while nearly every pitch is followed by a music clip or sound effect. It’s not the nonstop barrage of breaking glass or quacking ducks heard at some parks, but there are stretches when letting the game stand on its own might be a bit of a relief.

Neighborhood   3

Sioux Falls Stadium is part of a larger sports and entertainment complex; next door is Howard Wood Field, once home to baseball in Sioux Falls and now used for football and track. The Denny Sanford Premier Center and the Sioux Falls Convention Center also share the grounds, making the area a hub for local events. For visiting fans, the Sheraton Sioux Falls and Ramada by Wyndham sit right next to the sports complex, both within easy walking distance of the ballpark.

Downtown Sioux Falls is only a five-minute drive away, while Big Sioux River runs right through the center of the city; its namesake Falls Park is one of the area’s most popular attractions. The park’s series of cascading falls let visitors walk right up to the edge for close views. Sioux Falls is also home to the Great Plains Zoo and the Butterfly House and Aquarium, giving families plenty to do beyond baseball.

Downtown restaurants cover a wide range of tastes, from Roots of Brazil and Antigua Taco House to Camille’s Sidewalk Cafe. Another option, Falls Overlook Cafe, offers one of the most scenic settings, serving sandwiches, flatbread, burgers, and nachos, with views of the falls along Big Sioux River.

Chislic, a southeastern South Dakota favorite made of cubed lamb seasoned with garlic salt and fried to a medium-rare finish, is a local must-try, with many pointing to Red Rock Bar & Grill as serving the best around. For breakfast, the Phillips Avenue Diner channels 1950s vibes and the feel of a classic greasy spoon.

Fans   3

Fan involvement at The Birdcage has its moments, though it is not overwhelming. One fan in particular though seems to take it upon himself to rally the stands when the pitcher gets two strikes, urging everyone to clap and shout in anticipation of a strikeout. It is a fun spark, but it doesn’t always spread much beyond a section or two.

On average, Sioux Falls ranks near the bottom of the American Association in attendance, drawing only about 1,200 fans per game. The fans who are there are engaged enough to provide some atmosphere, but not quite enough to turn The Birdcage into a true home-field advantage for the Canaries.

Access   4

Sioux Falls Stadium sits in a convenient spot, surrounded by three major highways: I-29 to the west, I-90 to the north, and the I-229 bypass to the east. Getting there is rather simple, and plenty of parking surrounds the ballpark. The most direct entry point is near the third base side, where the ticket office and main gate sit just steps from the parking lot.

Inside the facility, the main concourse runs behind the grandstand. It is wide and easy to navigate, though it does not offer views of the field.

The field level concourse extends about three-quarters of the way down each foul line, but the park is not fully circumnavigable. Stairs on each end of the grandstand lead back down to either end of the plaza area behind the seating bowl, and the only outfield access is a small outcrop in right field that is part of a limited access group seating area.

Return on Investment   4

General admission tickets run just over $16, which feels a little steep, but the free parking helps balance it out. Concession prices are slightly high as well, though they fall in line with what most stadiums charge nowadays.

Extras   3

A display on the concourse chronicles the history of baseball in Sioux Falls, as well as explains the origins of the Canaries name.

Sioux Falls Stadium also honors professional baseball scouts, with the Topps-sponsored Professional Baseball Scouts Hall of Fame located along the third base side of the concourse.

The Canaries also have two mascots, the older Cagey and the youthful Peep, who entertain fans throughout the game.

Final Thoughts

Sioux Falls Stadium, a.k.a. The Birdcage, captures much of what is great about baseball in small cities: a mix of history, quirkiness, and community spirit. The Canaries identity ties the present to more than a century of local baseball tradition, while touches like the strikeout zip line, dual mascots, and an interactive PA announcer are a bit of a break from the traditional stadium experience. While there are blemishes, The Birdcage offers the type of atmosphere that can only be found in places where the game is woven into the community’s history, much as it is in Sioux Falls.