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Outfield
  
 
     
 
Skyhawks in the Field
Skyhawks Dugout
 
Field at Night
 
Photos taken July 2008
 
    Surface:  Natural Grass
Capacity: 4,358
Dimensions: LF-330   CF- 392  RF- 330
Stadium Opened: 1994

Parking:

  • Free parking
  • Large gravel lot next to the stadium
  • No major traffic jams getting in or out, very stress-free

Food:

  • Hot dogs, burgers, fries,pretzels, chicken fingers,etc.
  • There is also a pretty good mexican stand as well with some great nachos
  • Cliff's Homemade Ice Cream stand offers some very tasty ice cream. If you go, try the "Huckleberry Buckle" flavor.
  • Prices are reasonable.
  • Unfortunately, at games with larger crowds the concession lines move very slowly.
  • If you are looking for some good food after the game, head across the street to the "Chatterbox Drive-In"...they have awesome milkshakes as well as some good food and a great atmosphere.

 

Seating/Stadium Design:

Inspired by the surroundings, Skylands Park was designed to have a barn look to it. It is a very appropriate theme for this area of NJ (Sussex County), which is rural area.

The seating bowl is comprised of a lower section of box seats, upper reserved seat sections, and two general admission sections. All seats are blue bucket seats with the exception of the general admission areas which contain red bleachers. There are also luxury suites at the top of the seating bowl.

There is a scoreboard in left field but no video board. The scoreboard is very basic but does provide the important information. There are a few lights on the scoreboard that need to be replaced, or the entire scoreboard needs to be upgraded.

The concourse area is not open to the field, but this is characteristic of the time period in which this park was built so I do not find fault with the park in this category.

There is a souvenir shop called The Pro Shop which features a wide variety of merchandise.

 

Atmosphere/Character:

The crowd is laid back, but into the game.  Skylands Park is one of my favorite independent league parks to watch a game in since it is very relaxing. The usual sound effects are played during the game.  There are some in-between innings contests such as "The Mexican Hat Dance", "Spelling Bee" and "Water Chug".

The mascot, "Scooter" is very active throughout the game and seems to be a fan favorite. He is often dancing on top of the dugout or tossing t-shirts into the crowd.

 


 

Origin of Team's Name:

The team was officially named the Sussex Skyhawks on January 25, 2006, based on the results of a contest held by Sussex Professional Baseball. "Skyhawks" refers to the Skylands Region of northwestern New Jersey surrounding the town of Augusta. The Skylands region contains two national parks at its edges, 60,000 acres (240 km²) of state parkland, and a diverse geography filled with lakes, rivers and picturesque hills dotted with farms.

(www.wikipedia.org)

http://www.njherald.com/355762210079100.php

Team Name Finalists

 

Overall, Skylands Park is a great place to enjoy a game. There are no traffic jams or hassles getting in and out of the park. It's just an overall stress-free atmosphere. Since I live the same distance from Dutchess Stadium in Fishkill, NY as I do Skylands Park, when given the choice to attend a game at one of those parks, I'd choose Skylands Park every time.


Overall Rating: 1/4
Review based on many visits to Skylands Park since 1994.

Questions? Comments? E-Mail me:amanda@baseballstadiumreviews.com