DAVENPORT, Iowa -- The River Bandits are moving back into Modern Woodmen Park ahead of their long-anticipated home opener Friday. Staff there spent much of the day Wednesday bringing in exercise machines and training equipment for the team -- and concessions for the fans.
The sounds of fielding drills and music coming over the P.A. system could be heard again for the first time in about a month.
"It feels great. It's finally starting to feel like a baseball stadium again you know," said operations manager Seth Reeve. "We finally have baseball on the field again," he said.
On Wednesday the Saint Ambrose University baseball team hosted St. Xavier. Friday, the River Bandits will host the Clinton LumberKings for the first game in their five-game home series.
But before the River Bandits finally take the field, it's all hands on deck to get the ballpark ready.
"I'm usually tucked away in the box office, printing out tickets, making sure that all goes correctly," said Julia McNeil, who works at Modern Woodmen Park as a box office manager but could be seen carrying a heavy box of baseballs into the stadium Wednesday afternoon. "So this is definitely a unique aspect to the job this season," she said.