Bulltown, Nitro, Optimists, City work together for new concessions stand in Kalona City Park

By Max Von Gries
Posted 6/21/22

The City Park in Kalona needed a new concessions stand built for a while. The old stand didn’t offer enough space and struggled to keep up with business when the park would host baseball or …

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Bulltown, Nitro, Optimists, City work together for new concessions stand in Kalona City Park

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The City Park in Kalona needed a new concessions stand built for a while. The old stand didn’t offer enough space and struggled to keep up with business when the park would host baseball or softball tournaments during the summer.

The old concessions stand was moved from the old Kalona High School football/baseball field near the Kalona Sales Barn when the Jaycees developed the ball fields at City Park. This was the same time the Jaycees built the two larger baseball/softball fields on the east side of City Park. 

  The Optimists have been operating the stand during Youth Ball games Monday through Friday evenings in May.

The Optimists serve hamburgers, popcorn, pop and water and other snacks to the parents and youth ball players during T-Ball and other youth ball games.

The Optimists put their proceeds into their youth budget to help fund several youth related projects including the Youth Ball program plus other kids’ activities. The Optimists annually help to fund youth ball and other youth activities plus $500 to use as scholarships to help children who could not otherwise afford to participate in the YMCA Youth activities.

A couple years ago the Optimists agreed to let the Nitro Softball and Bulltown Baseball organizations use the stand for games during their weekend tournaments.

Every year, the Kalona City Park is host to around four or five baseball and softball tournaments. In years past, the old concessions stand would not be able to keep up with the large amounts of people who would come to those tournaments wanting snacks or refreshments. Additional tents were needed to provide extra shelter for those helping in the concessions stand, and it made it very difficult for those who were working the stand.

Bulltown Baseball and Nitro Softball decided to step in and help their community by building a brand-new concessions stand. The Optimists agreed to allow the city to use their location and had their stand removed.

The project started in the summer of 2020, when Nitro Softball and the City of Kalona decided to get the ball rolling. The Optimists were unable to provide concessions for two summers, mainly because of the COVID-19 pandemic and construction delays.

Nitro bought the shell of the new building and, with the help of the city, planned out the design of the new stand and where the new shell of the building would sit. Then, in the winter of 2021, flooring and insulation were installed by members of Bulltown. The rest of the project was finished by Bulltown and Optimist members, where several members helped with the finishing touches of the building and making sure everything was done.

The Kalona Optimist Club members also worked with the city to put the finishing touches on the building and had the building inspected by the Washington County Dept. of Health before the stand could be used for serving snacks and beverages. Cupboards and more permanent serving windows are yet to be installed.

The Optimists reopened the stand in May after buying a larger popcorn machine and a new grill for the stand. The Optimists also signed a lease for a new pop cooler from Mashaska (Pepsi) beverage distributor. The City of Kalona, which now owns the building, bought a new refrigerator and other equipment.

All three groups share the use of the facility, and each has a food license and passed inspection from the Dept. of Health.

“After the season we plan to evaluate what changes and improvements need to be made,” Kalona City Administrator Ryan Schlabaugh said. “We will be expanding the plaza area and will be adding a shaded area.”