Woodchucks fans get 'First Look' at ballpark

The Wisconsin Woodchucks on Saturday will open the gates of their newly remodeled stadium for the first time this season for the inaugural First Look Fan Fest.

Although the players haven't yet arrived in Wausau and opening day isn't until June 3, there will be plenty of activities for everyone in the family. Stop by Athletic Park between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday for a day of free fun and a chance to see how the stadium has improved since the end of the 2015 season.

The team's owner, Mark Macdonald, invested $3 million in renovations and additions focused on the grandstand along the third-base line.

The new additions followed on the heels of an earlier, $2.7 million phase of construction which built up the stands behind home plate, added a park and playground next to the stadium and included other improvements.

First Look Fan Fest is occurring in conjunction with a downtown Wausau open house event organized by the Wausau River District, which will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.

"We completed the second phase of construction," president of the Woodchucks team, Ryan Treu said. "We have 250 new reserved seats, new elevators and new bathrooms."

Also added to the stadium are new lights, new speakers and a new concession building with a full kitchen and the capability to host events.

The open house will showcase these improvements during a day of free fun for the whole family. Kids will be able to try out the fast pitch game, bounce in an inflatable bounce house and get their faces painted. Adults will have the chance to purchase a cold beer and enjoy the day out at the ballpark.

"We want to show people what we've been doing," Treu said. "It's our way of opening up, welcoming summer and getting people excited."

The renovations are part of a plan to make Athletic Park more of a part of the downtown scene as the River District improves.

"We're really excited about what we did and we're really excited about the River District," Treu said. "We want to be a part of the downtown. We want to give Wausau something new."

Treu hopes the renovations will allow Athletic Park to host events such as a wine tasting, dinners and concerts in addition to the beer around the bases festival already planned for this summer.

During the event, there will also be open interviews for part-time positions for game season.

"We have about 20 jobs left," Treu said. "We're looking for people to run the concession stand, be ticket takers, custodians and ushers."

There will also be open auditions to sing the National Anthem at one of the games this summer.

In addition to the free kids games and tours of the stadium, Woodchucks gear will be available for purchase at the team store and food will be available for purchase at the concession stands. Free samples of new food will be available as well. Tickets for the season and individual games will be available for purchase as well.

Contact Going Out reporter Laura Schulte at (715) 297-7532 or leschulte@gannettwisconsin.com; on Twitter @schultelaura.