The 2016 summer-collegiate Northwoods League All-Star Game is set for Kenosha’s Simmons Field on July 19, with a unique home-run derby slated for a pier on Lake Michigan.
Hosted by the Kenosha Kingfish, the game is sure to be a sellout — fans always snap up the tickets, with plenty of scouts on hand, and historic Simmons Field is a great ballpark for a game at any time — and there’s sure to be plenty of attention the day before the All-Star Game for the Home Run Derby. Pending approvals from the City of Kenosha, the Kingfish will host the derby at the harbor, featuring the top league sluggers launching baseballs into Lake Michigan.
The event will take place near the intersection of 52nd Street and 6th Avenue in downtown Kenosha, with batters on the pier extending out into the harbor. A buoy line replicating the field dimensions of Simmons Field will be placed over the water to define a home run boundary. Fans are invited to enjoy food, beverage, live music, fireworks and kids games on land bordering the harbor for a ticketed event. It certainly is unique, and we can think of only one previous All-Star Game exercise that was similar: In 2012, the Charleston RiverDogs hosted a home-run derby from the flight deck of the USS Yorktown.
“The greater Kenosha community has truly embraced our team and deserves a special event like this,” said Kingfish General Manager Jake McGhee said in a press statement. “We always want Kingfish fans to expect the unexpected and the Home Run Derby at the Harbor is just that. We are thrilled to bring this type of entertainment to Downtown Kenosha.”
“We are extremely excited to be hosting this great event in Kenosha,” City of Kenosha Mayor Keith Bosman said. “I attended the Northwoods League All-Star Game in Madison in 2012 and it is wonderful to have all of the stars of tomorrow playing at historic Simmons Field.”