Loeb Stadium is a part of Lafayette’s rich History. The stadium was built in 1940 and has hosted The Colt World Series, Lafayette Jefferson High School Baseball, IHSAA Tournaments, American Legion Baseball, the Lafayette Red Sox of the Midwest League, the Lafayette Leopards of the Great Central League, and the Ohio Valley Redcoats of the Frontier League. This historic landmark is now home to the Lafayette Aviators.
Loeb Stadium will be undergoing a multi-million dollar transformation starting this fall and will have a brand new look for the Aviators 2021 season. The new Loeb will be a state of the art facility with home plate moved to what is now center field allowing the main entrance to be located at Main and Wallace Streets.
This new stadium talk is exciting, but I wanted to be sure I attended the final Aviators home opener at the current Loeb Stadium. It was Purdue Night at Loeb where Jeff Brohm threw out the first pitch, Purdue Pete wandered around the stands and the Iconic Boilermaker Special took loads of Aviators fans for a ride. The stands were packed full of people of all ages. There were kids playing in the inflatable bounce house and adult’s enjoying the People’s Brewery tent. The Aviators games have something for us all. The Aviators posted a 7-6 home opener win in the presence of 1,181 happy fans.
There’s tons of fun to be had at the Aviators baseball games with the between inning games, Ace the mascot, food, drinks, giveaways and so much more. The Aviators staff does a great job keeping the crowd engaged through games such as stand volleyball and flight suit races on the field. During the 7th inning stretch, the whole crowd experiences the tradition of singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame". This prospect league team isn't missing any part of the baseball game experience.
Each game has a different theme. For example, Thirsty Thursday's, T-shirt Giveaways, Star Wars Night, Family Sunday's, 2 dollar Tuesday's and much more.
The hometown feel and excitement are real at Loeb Stadium. I ran into old friends and made new ones during the game. It’s nice to see the community come together in many ways. Both the Lafayette and West Lafayette Mayors made appearances. There are many opportunities for local tastes from the Professor Joe’s pizza sold at the stadium or the Arni’s food everyone talks about picking up on the way home. We can’t forget about the Original Frozen Custard close by. Looking out and seeing both Arni’s and Frozen Custard's Neon lights from the stands gives me a sense of hometown pride and I know I’m not alone in that feeling.
Reagan, VLWL intern shares: "The Aviators game was the perfect way to start off summer. It felt like the whole community was together not only to enjoy the game but to engage with each other and relax with friends, family, and good company. Being outside in perfect weather, watching little kids run around, and sipping People’s local beer with a hot dog was just the way I wanted to spend my night off."
Aviators games are not only the perfect outing for family and friends, but also groups and parties. The Aviators games are the ideal way to spend a summer day among a group of friends or coworkers. Birthday parties are offered as well! Find more information about group tickets here.
The Aviators will continue their entire 2019 season at Loeb Stadium. This already incredible experience will be even more amazing come 2021. Help bid farewell to the original Loeb Stadium by attending some Aviators games this season! Tickets are available here.
For more information about all the fun things to do in Lafayette-West Lafayette, visit HomeOfPurdue.com.
