Since the late nineteenth century, baseball has been known as the All-American pastime. With a rich and diverse history, its predecessors are well documented in France, England, and Belgium. It was when our ancestors first came to the United States that they brought their various versions of this game and it morphed into what we know today as baseball. Requiring precision, speed, and agility, baseball is a great game to both play and watch! That’s why we at The Settlers Inn are thrilled to have the Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre Railraiders, a AAA affiliate for the New York Yankees, call PNC field in Moosic, PA home! Open again for its second season since its $43.3 million dollar renovation, PNC field is a fantastic place to spend a glorious afternoon or evening while on vacation!
First opened in 1989, PNC field, originally called Lackawanna County Stadium, was a state of the art multi-purpose facility. Throughout the 1990s, baseball fields underwent tremendous innovative changes that unfortunately made Lackawanna County Stadium almost obsolete in its infancy. In 2012, after about five years of negotiation and discussion, Lackawanna County sold the AAA team to, “…SWB Yankees, LLC, the joint venture of Mandalay Baseball Properties and the New York Yankees” (http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/era-ends-in-nepa-baseball-as-franchise-goes-to-yanks-1.1306148).
Reopening for its first season in 2013, the vastly improved stadium is just gorgeous! For top tier suite baseball viewing, there is the Mohegan Sun Club and Suite level. Because of its private entrance, personal service, high-quality lounge and bar area, this part of the park is SOLD OUT for the next couple of YEARS!!!! However, every now and again one can “score” some seats if put on the waiting list.
Don’t let the fact that the Mohegan Sun seats are filled deter you from making a visit to the park, though. There is still plenty of fantastic and comfortable seating available that also have access to ice cold Budweiser, delicious pierogis, succulent Sicilian style pizza, and more! What else could one expect to find in this part of the country with all of its rich Polish and Italian American ancestry!
As far as the name of the team, the Railraiders, Scranton and the surrounding towns all were coal towns that mined anthracite, back in the 18th and 19th centuries. Because of the coal mining industry, steel factories were built and thus copious railroads ran throughout the area, exporting rich coal and steel to the rest of the country and even to the world! In homage to Scranton’s incredible industrial heritage, the name “Railraiders” was aptly chosen for their local AAA baseball team.
Of course, if you’re truly an avid baseball fan and want to watch some of America’s youngest players, you don’t have to drive to Scranton. Right across the street from The Settlers Inn lays beautiful Bingham Park. Within the confines of the park, there are little league fields that are always buzzing with activity! Watch as America’s youngest players all hone their skills in hopes of one day making it to the big leagues! It’s where it all starts and is actually the first step of the formative process in the making of a baseball star!
At The Settlers Inn, we love our Pennsylvanian American heritage and history and all that it entails! Take a drive through our carbon laden mountains and be sure to make a pilgrimage out to PNC Field while enjoying your stay with us for an enjoyable nine innings of baseball!