OT: Edmonton River Hawks (New Baseball Team to Play at Remax)

[McGoMcD]

Meet the Riverhawks: Edmonton ballpark to host new team backed by ex-Oiler-led group

Haven't seen this posted. Realistically this is the best Edmonton can do. AAA or Lower A ball won't return to Edmonton. The season is too long and travel is too hard. Also many complained about the weather early in April etc. This is a Summer League, July August which will play 24 games. It is USA College Ball. The top College players from the Western US basically. Many get drafted to the bigs out of this league. So you will see Major League players if you attend games. From the Prospect to this is like going from like Junior B to the WHL team.... Something like that.

I am excited, actually like the logo too.

Click to read more...

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

Re-Max Field is too beautiful to stay empty....it's such a perfect location
where are the Prospects going?

 

[McGoMcD]

Re-Max Field is too beautiful to stay empty....it's such a perfect location
where are the Prospects going?

Spruce Grove. It's best for both worlds. The prospects were sad at Remax. The field was way too big and no one came. This gives Spruce something cool, and a better team can play on an MLB sized field.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

Spruce Grove. It's best for both worlds. The prospects were sad at Remax. The field was way too big and no one came. This gives Spruce something cool, and a better team can play on an MLB sized field.

Prospects had games with large attendance (relatively speaking)...I've had to stand in lengthy lines several times cause they weren't prepared for the amount of fans that came
the beer lines were ridiculous

 

[Del Preston]

Gregg also announced the stadium's infield, lighting and scoreboard will all be upgraded ahead of the new team's debut.

The current infield has been an eyesore from day one.

 

[McGoMcD]

Prospects had games with large attendance (relatively speaking)...I've had to stand in lengthy lines several times cause they weren't prepared for the amount of fans that came
the beer lines were ridiculous

Well from what I recall they basically had two big games a year, the first game and Canada day I think, or was it something else? Any way, two big promo days, but go there for a regular game during the week and you might see 100 people. Overall attendance wasn't great. This team will draw much better.

 

[OilersSnowFan]

Well from what I recall they basically had two big games a year, the first game and Canada day I think, or was it something else? Any way, two big promo days, but go there for a regular game during the week and you might see 100 people. Overall attendance wasn't great. This team will draw much better.

I think on one of the radio shows Gregg said average attendance was at 1000-2000 and the city wanted to see more attendance or they turn that area into condos

 

[MoneyGuy]

Spruce Grove. It's best for both worlds. The prospects were sad at Remax. The field was way too big and no one came. This gives Spruce something cool, and a better team can play on an MLB sized field.

Wouldn’t bet on that.

 

[McGoMcD]

Wouldn’t bet on that.

wouldn't bet on what?

 

[Stoneman89]

Has this name been cleared by the Snowflake cancel crowd?

 

[Oilhawks]

I miss the Trappers It was fun going to the games as a kid, especially the two years they were champions.

If they end up doing something with the old power plant (has something been confirmed?) and turn that area into a Forks lite I could see them getting a lot more attendance as part of ‘things to do’ down at the river valley.

 

[Stoneman89]

I miss the Trappers It was fun going to the games as a kid, especially the two years they were champions.

If they end up doing something with the old power plant (has something been confirmed?) and turn that area into a Forks lite I could see them getting a lot more attendance as part of ‘things to do’ down at the river valley.

Trappers games were a lot of fun when they had musical acts included in the ticket price, and they were right after the game. Went to a couple and saw Ricky Van Shelton and The Turtles in the other one. Great time.

 

[CanmoreMike]

I miss the Trappers It was fun going to the games as a kid, especially the two years they were champions.

If they end up doing something with the old power plant (has something been confirmed?) and turn that area into a Forks lite I could see them getting a lot more attendance as part of ‘things to do’ down at the river valley.

From what I hear they are doing tours of the power plant to generate some excitement and want to do some gondolas out of there. Which could attract a lot more people to that area. It is underdeveloped there and has lots of potential.

Parking will now be at a premium with tent city swallowing up 30% or so of Remax field parking lots.

 

[Stoneman89]

From what I hear they are doing tours of the power plant to generate some excitement and want to do some gondolas out of there. Which could attract a lot more people to that area. It is underdeveloped there and has lots of potential.

Parking will now be at a premium with tent city swallowing up 30% or so of Remax field parking lots.

Sounds like some place that most tourists would have make sure and work into their visits to the city. A old power plant with a tent city adjacent to it.

 

[Drivesaitl]

I miss the Trappers It was fun going to the games as a kid, especially the two years they were champions.

If they end up doing something with the old power plant (has something been confirmed?) and turn that area into a Forks lite I could see them getting a lot more attendance as part of ‘things to do’ down at the river valley.

A lot of people say the same thing but the reason that Edmonton doesn't have a whole lot going on in the river valley is due to this being a deep bank river valley with extreme elevation change between street level and valley. So that this is never going to be walkable areas. I mean even try walking to river bank from DT edmonton or from Leg, or from University, or Strathcona. Hardly anybody does it or would do it.

The Forks in Winnipeg is immediately easily assessible from DT, easy to walk to, just steps away.

Without something like a gondola ride to river valley this just isn't going to get going. not enough impetus to go there and not easy enough to go there.

Edmonton has even spent so much trying to get people into the river valley and they just don't come. You could go today on our expensive marquee Walterdale bridge and there wouldn't be 5 people walking on it at the same time. you would see designed people areas, trails, all sorts, basically empty. The whole Baseball facily also barren, nobody around ever, except for the homeless tent village they had in parking lot for months.

We actually like the area, go for walks lots, and we are the type that would walk to the area but hardly anybody does. Its a ghost town in those areas lots of the times. Its actually sad how little people explore areas. For instance of all the people that visit Kinsmen the majority wouldn't even know that John Walter historic site is located on the opposite end of the parking lot. We're a car city and people don't explore or walk a lot. In Winnipeg you also have the public transit boats and piers dropping people off at various stops on the rivers and at the Forks.

The Forks concept doesn't work here because of what this river is. Deep, hard to access valley. Just the nature of it.

For the same reason most Edmontonians probably haven't even been to the Baseball stadium. Which is beautiful. But it was wasted money in a wasted location. It may as well be located in Spruce Grove for all people go to it or walk by.

 

[MoneyGuy]

wouldn't bet on what?

I wouldn’t bet on a team going to Spruce Grove.

 

[ChaoticOrange]

Spruce Grove. It's best for both worlds. The prospects were sad at Remax. The field was way too big and no one came. This gives Spruce something cool, and a better team can play on an MLB sized field.

as a Spruce resident, it's pretty exciting. We've got the Saints in the fall/winter but not much else.

 

[Zenos]

So that this is never going to be walkable areas. I mean even try walking to river bank from DT edmonton or from Leg, or from University, or Strathcona. Hardly anybody does it or would do it.

You're not wrong in that the area isn't easily accessible by foot from downtown - But that could be said for just about everywhere in Edmonton. Fact is, people have cars and like to drive them.

And as a former resident of Winnipeg (too), I'll add that while the Forks is close to downtown, it's worth noting that the majority of visitors end up driving there too. Especially ca.15 years ago, downtown Winnipeg just wasn't a place that many people wanted to go. Of course, things have improved a lot since then (thanks in part to the success of the Forks of course, but also development of the Exchange, MTS centre, UofW, etc.).

 

[bellagiobob]

Sounds like some place that most tourists would have make sure and work into their visits to the city. A old power plant with a tent city adjacent to it.

Speaking of which...

 

[McGoMcD]

A lot of people say the same thing but the reason that Edmonton doesn't have a whole lot going on in the river valley is due to this being a deep bank river valley with extreme elevation change between street level and valley. So that this is never going to be walkable areas. I mean even try walking to river bank from DT edmonton or from Leg, or from University, or Strathcona. Hardly anybody does it or would do it.

The Forks in Winnipeg is immediately easily assessible from DT, easy to walk to, just steps away.

Without something like a gondola ride to river valley this just isn't going to get going. not enough impetus to go there and not easy enough to go there.

Edmonton has even spent so much trying to get people into the river valley and they just don't come. You could go today on our expensive marquee Walterdale bridge and there wouldn't be 5 people walking on it at the same time. you would see designed people areas, trails, all sorts, basically empty. The whole Baseball facily also barren, nobody around ever, except for the homeless tent village they had in parking lot for months.

We actually like the area, go for walks lots, and we are the type that would walk to the area but hardly anybody does. Its a ghost town in those areas lots of the times. Its actually sad how little people explore areas. For instance of all the people that visit Kinsmen the majority wouldn't even know that John Walter historic site is located on the opposite end of the parking lot. We're a car city and people don't explore or walk a lot. In Winnipeg you also have the public transit boats and piers dropping people off at various stops on the rivers and at the Forks.

The Forks concept doesn't work here because of what this river is. Deep, hard to access valley. Just the nature of it.

For the same reason most Edmontonians probably haven't even been to the Baseball stadium. Which is beautiful. But it was wasted money in a wasted location. It may as well be located in Spruce Grove for all people go to it or walk by.

I agree with a lot of what you're saying. Edmonton's river valley is just inherently hard to get compared to say the Forks. That said I think they have done a great job with the Walterdale Bridge and the area around it. On a busy warm day I have seen maybe hundreds of people sitting on that hill that they built up overlooking the bridge and downtown (I don't know if it has a name). I think a lot more people are finding their way down there, and that area (along with the ballpark) is easily the most accessible spot. If they put a gondola in and did something with the powerplant I could see it get really busy. The biggest screw up the city has done in a long time, and that is sadly a pretty long list, is the vehicular. It goes down to a spot that isn't even accessible and doesn't even go down the whole way. You should have spent that on a gondola that goes right down to the river. At say the powerplant and Walterdale Bridge area.

 

[McGoMcD]

You're not wrong in that the area isn't easily accessible by foot from downtown - But that could be said for just about everywhere in Edmonton. Fact is, people have cars and like to drive them.

And as a former resident of Winnipeg (too), I'll add that while the Forks is close to downtown, it's worth noting that the majority of visitors end up driving there too. Especially ca.15 years ago, downtown Winnipeg just wasn't a place that many people wanted to go. Of course, things have improved a lot since then (thanks in part to the success of the Forks of course, but also development of the Exchange, MTS centre, UofW, etc.).

Ya, I was in Winnipeg last summer. We walked to the forks from downtown, well a nice walk it really isn't all that close. Most people we saw were driving down there.

Something that seems a bit small, but I think has actually had a big effect is the scooters. I see tons of people down in the river valley with them. probably see more of them than people on bikes in the summer.