Bulls in the ballpark 2023 marion il

JOHN D. HOMAN The Southern

MARION - The Southern Illinois Miners may be gone forever, but that doesn't mean that Rent One Park in Marion is dead and buried with them.

The boys from Black Diamond Harley-Davidson - co-owners Rodney Cabaness and Shad Zimbro - purchased the stadium from the Simmons family last fall and has been busy conjuring up some new entertainment at the venue to go along with the occasional high school and travel league ball games that have been ongoing at the ballpark this spring.

The summer of fun will kick off with a "Rock the Park" heavy metal band concert on Friday, May 27 and will be followed up by a professional bull-riding show on Saturday, June 18. There will also be 12-and-under and 16-and-under baseball tournaments June 30 through July 2. An even younger group of youngsters (8-and-under) will gather to play baseball at the PONY International Classic, July 8-11.

The annual Back-to-School Backpack Giveaway has been moved from Black Diamond to Rent One on July 23. The Colt League World Series returns July 28 and runs through Aug. 2. And the Nitro Circus featuring BMX and Motocross stunt riders will take the field Aug. 12.

According to Zimbro, more events are in the planning stages, but the biggest news for now, he said, might be the addition of a college wooden-bat team in the summer of 2023 that should satisfy the appetite of baseball purists.

"I think that's the best fit for us," Zimbro said. "The season doesn't run nearly as long as the Frontier League did, which will allow us to host many other events here at Rent One. While we love baseball, we're much more than a baseball venue."

Marketing director Jeremy Pinkston added that a new college wooden-bat team in Marion would be joining an established league here in the Midwest. The specific league is still undetermined.

"It's a baseball stadium, so I think baseball needs to be played here," he said.

Dave Kost serves as the new director of operations at Rent One. A former college and semi-professional baseball player who has also coached college ball and worked for minor league teams, Kost is excited about his new job.

"I think collegiate wooden-bat leagues are exciting and are growing in popularity with the fans. You have college-age guys trying to get better at the game and hoping to get a look from the pros (scouts). And I think these teams are easier for fans to identify with because some of those players may be local kids - from a local high school or college like SIU, for example. Ultimately, it comes down to the fan experience and we want everyone who comes to Rent One to have fun, regardless of what happens on the field. That's our main goal - providing a quality experience for the fans."

Kost said there will be employment opportunities for hundreds of Southern Illinoisans as Rent One becomes an even busier venue than in past years.

Marion Mayor Mike Absher said it's exciting what all has already been scheduled this summer and what lies ahead at Rent One Park in the not too distant future.

"As exciting as it was to have Miners baseball here, there was always that concern about what to do on the days when there weren't games here," he said. "Now, we're finding out what all could be here. The people at Black Diamond are excellent promoters and I like the variety of different entertainment that is in the works. It's more like what we have at the civic center and the pavilion - open to anything. We would love nothing more than for Rent One Park to once again become an economic engine for our town."

Absher admitted that he was concerned about the future of the facility when he learned the Simmons family had decided to pull the plug on the Miners.

"I was a season ticket holder from the beginning, but I could see the numbers drop after the newness wore off. Marion will always be grateful to the Simmons family for bringing professional baseball here, but I can't think of a better set of circumstances than Black Diamond taking over ownership. They will bring new energy and thoughts to the mix. I can't see anything bad about it."

Absher said more events at Rent One translates to more sales tax and bed tax revenue for the city.

"I think the new additions at the park will be impactful for our local businesses and will help drive tourism, as well as economic development," the mayor said.

Kost said "the sky's the limit" for Rent One Park attractions, pointing out that the field, when built, has the dimensions to host a football game or soccer match, as well as baseball or softball game.

"We'd love to see a Herrin-Carterville or Marion-Carbondale high school football game here some day, and hosting a Major League Soccer exhibition match is also a possibility. We can do car shows, music festivals, carnivals, flag football tournaments, corn hole tournaments. Just about anything. We have a long laundry list of options, and we should because we are a multi-use facility."

Kost said Rent One even hosted Easter service for Cornerstone Church in Marion last month and had a helicopter drop 25,000 eggs for kids.

"If it brings value to our community, we want to host it," Kost said, adding that the stadium parking lot is being revamped, as well as new landscaping. There will also be new LED lighting inside and outside the park.

"There is not a lot to do here in terms of entertainment in Southern Illinois, which is why we have taken on that challenge or responsibility, if you will, to entertain. The more qualify of life options, the better. "

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