Salem-Keizer Volcanoes take new steps to address poor attendance

The Salem-Keizer Volcanoes open the season Friday with optimism and an understanding that the opening weekend will set the tone for fans looking for a better game experience.

“We’ve got Friday fireworks, we’ve got (former Cy Young winner, MVP and World Series champion) Vida Blue coming on Saturday, and then Father’s Day on Sunday. That’s a nice trio to start the year,” said Mitche Graf, the Volcanoes’ president of business operations. “Once we start well, it will spread like wildfire. I think that momentum will just carry through the season.”

The Volcanoes, who host the Boise Hawks at 6:35 p.m. Friday in the season-opener, have experienced attendance issues in recent seasons at Volcanoes Stadium.

Last season, Salem-Keizer drew 72,094 fans for the season, the lowest total in the Northwest League. The only other team to draw fewer than 100,000 was the Tri-City Dust Devils at 86,283.

The Volcanoes have finished last in attendance the past four seasons in a row.

One of their strategies to reverse that trend at Volcanoes Stadium is a renewed focus on food.

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“One of the biggest issues that we’ve seen in talking to fans and corporate sponsors was the concessions,” Graf said. “Long lines, slow waits, low-quality food, not a wide variety, not a good selection.”

The club then went to work brainstorming new ideas, including an early idea of “food-truck Fridays,” which soon expanded.

“Let’s just invite the top restaurants in each category, give them a space,” Graf said. “Let them come in here with their speed, their employees, their systems, their fan bases, let them rock and roll, and just take in a commission at the end of the night. Make it really simple and easy.”

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The Volcanoes’ food options this season include SouthPaw’s Pizza, BBQ Nation, Café Yumm!, El Patron, Weinerwurst Hut, Café Moka and Bahama Mama.

The Volcanoes also upgraded their traditional concessions.

“Everything has been reinvented from the ground up. Nothing is the same,” Graf said. “The hamburger is now a ‘signature’ item, meaning it (is) flamed-broiled, comes with all the fixins, on a brioche bun. Upstairs (in the suites) has a completely new and improved menu.”

Another way the Volcanoes are trying to enhance the fan experience is by improving the sound system at the stadium.

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“They are going to hear sound right off the bat in the parking lot, which actually is the five speakers that used to be inside the stadium. We repurposed them, we switched them around, we moved them to the parking lot. Now when you get out of your car, you can hear that energy,” Graf said. “We have 24 major-league quality speakers throughout the stadium. There are no dead zones. It’s a phenomenal system. The fans will notice that before they even get out of their car.”

Graf hopes these additions will make the Volcanoes a daily summertime destination for people in the Salem-Keizer area. He wants to recapture what the Volcanoes had when they first arrived in Keizer in 1997.

“I want to recapture some of that magic and remind people that this is a special place. This is where professional ballplayers get their professional start,” he said. “When the fans come here, it’s three hours, three and a half, whatever the time is, and we have to entertain them. We have to be respectful of that time.”

About the Volcanoes

COACHING STAFF

Manager: Mark Hallberg

Pitching coach: Dwight Bernard

Hitting coach: Doug Clark

Fundamentals coach: Nestor Rojas

VOLCANOES HISTORY

Affiliation: Short-Season Single-A (San Francisco Giants)

Inaugural season in Salem-Keizer: 1997

NWL Western Division titles: 7 (1998, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009)

Northwest League titles: 1998, 2001, 2006, 2007, 2009

Upcoming games and promotions

OPENING HOMESTAND

June 14 vs. Boise: The opening night game starts at 6:35 p.m. at Volcanoes Stadium. After the game, there will be a fireworks display.

June 15 vs. Boise:

• The game starts at 6:35 p.m. at Volcanoes Stadium. The will be a Volcanoes magnetic schedule giveaway, and former baseball player Vida Blue will make an appearance.

June 16 vs. Boise:

• The game starts at 5:05 p.m. at Volcanoes Stadium. This game is on Father’s Day, and if you want a photograph of your father to appear on the jumbotron for free, email the photo to probasebal@aol.com. Also, seniors aged 60 and older get free admission, and kids are allowed to run the bases after the game.

June 17 vs. Spokane:

• The game starts at 6:35 p.m. at Volcanoes Stadium. It will be Kids Night, where children 12 and younger receive a free admission voucher at any McDonald’s in the Salem-Keizer area.

June 18 vs. Spokane:

• The game starts at 6:35 p.m. at Volcanoes Stadium. All current and former military personnel are admitted for free. Also, it will be Keizer Little League fundraiser night.

June 19 vs. Spokane:

• The game starts at 6:35 p.m. at Volcanoes Stadium. It will be McNary High School night. Also, $1 hot dogs from 5:30-6:30 p.m.

June 20 vs. Spokane:

• The game starts at 6:35 p.m. at Volcanoes Stadium. All domestic draft beer is $1 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Also, it will be Sprague High School night.

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