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Snappers: Downtown Ballpark Can Be Economic Stimulus

Beloit SnappersThis may be the most important offseason in Beloit Snappers (Low A; Midwest League) history, as the team focuses on building support for a new downtown ballpark that would keep the team in the area.

The team is drawing parallels between Beloit and the Stateline area to Midland, Mich., where the Great Lakes Loons (Low A; Midwest League) fueled development in that city’s downtown area after the construction of Dow Diamond. Those parallels are promoted in a video produced by the Snappers. From the press release announcing the video:

The video features Midland baseball executives drawing parallels between their stadium experience with the Great Lakes Loons and the potential of a new stadium in Beloit. It was produced after a number of Beloit baseball and business leaders visited Midland in June for a research tour of the stadium and city when the Loons hosted the 2017 Midwest League All-Star Game. The tour was arranged by Great Lakes Loons President Paul Barbeau, who previously visited Beloit and gave presentations to team management and business leaders.

“What I really took note of is the fact that there are opportunities for so many things to happen there,” Beloit Professional Baseball Association Vice President and chairman of the Snappers new stadium committee Jim Agate says in the video. Agate, who co-owns Culvers in Beloit, noted the range of amenities and offerings at the stadium as appealing to a wide audience. He also took note of the businesses that had sprung up around the stadium and were thriving….

Agate and other board members hope community members will be swept away with an excitement for the team in the same way the original stakeholders were when they first brought professional baseball to Beloit by viewing the new video.

“Sometimes, it helps to see something through the eyes of other people,” Agate said. “The genuine enthusiasm that the Midland folks have for Beloit and the possibility for the team and community is contagious.”

Beloit has been home to downtown investment in recent years, and potential investors have focused on a potential downtown ballpark as key to further redevelopment. In general, the economy in the greater region has improved in recent years, which also bodes very well for the Snappers staying in Beloit.

You can view the video here. Definitely worth a look.

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