| Year Opened 1994 Current Team Affiliate League Capacity My Grades Photos taken in 2003 |
| Augusta, New Jersey |
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| Skylands Park was home to the New Jersey Cardinals of the NY-Penn League from 1994-2005 before moving to a brand new ballpark in State College,PA. Located in a rural part of northern New Jersey, the park was designed to fit in with its surroundings. The outside of the stadium along with the several buildings located around the stadium are all painted a red color to resemble that of a barn. These buildings are used for non-baseball purposes as a day care center is in one and a sports recreation center in another. The inside of the park resembles many of the other stadiums built in the mid 1990's. It is quite similar to Dutchess Stadium (Hudson Valley), but has several features which make it more enjoyable. There are less GA seats, and the ones there are are built on concrete, not aluminum. Also, fans are allowed to sit on the grassy knolls located down both foul lines here, where they are not permitted to in Dutchess Stadium. The concourse area is somewhat narrow, but has enough room to hold the concession and souvenir stands. The only seats covered by a roof are those of the luxury boxes located behind all the other seats in the park. Many on field promotions were done by the Cardinals between innings, including the Dizzy Bat Race and a closest to the pin contest. Fortunately the mascot (Claudia Cardin-Al) was rarely seen during the game. There is a good variety of concessions including brats, wraps, and Mexican, but the quality is inconsistent and the prices are on the high side. In fact everything was a bit expensive at Skylands Park during the Cardinals' final few years, apparently an effort to offset the unfavorable lease that the team had. In '05, box seats were $12, parking $4, and programs $4 - all a bit high for the NY Penn League. In addition, the team added attendants to the bathrooms which seemed like a blatant attempt to make more money as there were jars begging people for tips. Hopefully another team will take up residence here as Skylands Parks is still an adequate venue, and too nice to sit idle. Overall, this was a fine park to see a game while the Cardinals were here. It had activities and contests for the kids, but they didn't make this the main attraction. The game was definitely the main event. This was refreshing, because so many teams seem to be selling the promotions more than the actual games. As expected a new team, the Sussex Skyhawks of the Can-Am League, will be replacing the Cardinals in '06. |
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