The Future of Baseball in ICT
Ahhhhh – Summertime! Picnics, family reunions, cookouts, swimming, and of course baseball! Wichita has a deep history to the sport dubbed “America's favorite pastime.” This history was so elegantly detailed in a previous a previous article written by Sadonia Lane - The History of Baseball in Wichita
Looking Toward the Future
As many Wichitans may already know the 2018 Wingnuts season and National Baseball Congress World Series will be the last year Lawrence-Dumont will host Baseball in Wichita. The stadium, built before WWII, is slated to be torn down and rebuilt using STAR bonds and a tax increment financing (TIF) district passed by Sedgwick County and Wichita city officials over a year ago. The estimated $45-million-dollar project will be used to create a multi-sport facility, additional parking and a light commercial district surrounding the stadium and along the west bank of the Arkansas river.
With the hope of landing a minor league AA team and possibly bringing a professional outdoor soccer club, Wichita continues to search for a replacement for the Wingnuts. As for the fate of the Wichita Wingnuts ball club, it is still unknown. The Wingnuts made the official announcement via Twitter on May 3rd 2018 “After 84 years, thousands of games, millions of fans and countless memories, the Wichita Wingnuts announced today that the 2018 season will be the last for Lawrence-Dumont Stadium.” City officials and the Wingnuts hope to make an announcement, as to the future of the ball club, sometime during the 2018 season.
The Possibilities Are Endless
With the construction of a new stadium, the opening of the River Vista Apartments, the Advance Learning Library and the continued revitalization of Delano, The City of Wichita and private investors will have invested over $100 million dollars in and around the stadium. The west bank of the Arkansas River is poised to become a bustling area for residents and visitors alike.
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