Round About Akron

Canal Park

A Rubber City Favorite

Canal Park is home to C. C. Sabathia and other Akron favorites, whose professional dreams came true in the Rubber City. Now dubbed the Akron Rubber Ducks, the Canton-Akron Indians were moved by founder Mike Agganis to the Fenway-park-style stadium in 1997. The park’s rich history as the Anthony Wayne Hotel now serves as a hot spot for University of Akron students, families in the community, and other local sports fanatics. Canal Park offers a plethora of events from the Festival of Beers during Oktoberfest to family-friendly movie nights, seasonal fireworks, and college-level internships. Located along the Ohio and Erie Canal, Canal Park provides a timeless baseball experience in a timeless red-brick park.

Aerial view of Canal Park, courtesy of the Rubber Ducks Baseball Organization

The Anthony Wayne Hotel

The Anthony Wayne Hotel was constructed in 1917 and was originally named the Bond Hotel. While it was open, the Anthony Wayne Hotel served at one point as a bank and later, a nightclub. The hotel was closed in 1985 and razed in 1996. The construction of Canal Park began in 1996 and was completed in 1997.

The Anthony Wayne Hotel, courtesy of the Akron Beacon Journal

The Canton-Akron Indians

The Canton-Akron Indians were founded by Mike Agganis in 1980. They played at the Thurman Munson Memorial Stadium until Canal Park was finished in 1997. While at the Thurman Munson Memorial Stadium, the Indians made the playoffs for five straight seasons, from 1989 to 1993. However, the team never won a league championship.

The Akron Aeros and Rubber Ducks

In 1994, Mike Agganis signed a lease to move the Canton-Akron Indians to downtown Akron.

The Aeros are an affiliate of the Cleveland Indians in the Double-A Eastern League. Upon moving to Canal Park, the Canton-Akron Indians were renamed the Akron Aeros, in honor of Ohio’s aerospace history. Their first three seasons at Canal Park saw the highest attendance for any Double-A baseball team. During their initial ten years in Akron, the Aeros made the playoffs five times, winning the league championship in 2003 and 2005.

HOK, an international engineering and planning firm, created Canal Park. This firm also designed Jacobs Field–now known as Progressive Field, home to the Cleveland Indians–as well as Oriole Park at Camden Yards, which is home to the Baltimore Orioles. HOK designed Canal Park as a classic redbrick façade after Fenway Park and incorporated a replica of the clock found at the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. The scoreboard at the time was the largest freestanding one in the minor leagues, at nearly fifty-six feet and three inches by sixty-eight feet. Canal Park has a total of 9,097 seats with a capacity to hold 12,500 people. 

The scoreboard also has full color animation capacity with a four-color matrix display. The groundbreaking ceremony was held on January 5, 1996, and the construction was finished nearly a year later, on January 31, 1997. The project cost thirty-one million dollars and has transformed downtown Akron, hosting various events throughout the year.

Courtesy of the Rubber Ducks Baseball Organization

More than a Baseball Field

Duck Club Event Coordinator Sam Dankoff agreed to participate in an interview to discuss how Canal Park is more than a mere baseball field. Sam is an upbeat man who loves what he does at the Duck Club–a private event space at Canal Park that hosts formals, weddings, parties, and many other events. He obtained this position after interning with the Rubber Ducks, which is a great opportunity that Canal Park provides to University of Akron students.

Including baseball games, Canal Park hosts 170 events total each year. Some of these include high school baseball games, signature events, and Duck Club private events. Sam said his summer highlight was the state baseball tournament being hosted at Canal Park. He is especially excited because he booked the event for next year, as well. This event consists of games for three days in a row, which keeps the energy at the field very lively. They also recently hosted Rascal Flatts, which was a hit.

Sam’s responsibilities include sales and services for the Duck Club. They also include coordinating and planning events. For Sam, if people leave the game not knowing its final score, he knows he did his job well. His goal is for people simply to have a nice, relaxing time with their families, enjoying baseball.

Players and Mascots

In 2006, the Akron Aeros celebrated their tenth year at Canal Park. Fans were given commemorative posters to celebrate the anniversary. The poster features major league players who have played for the Aeros at some point in their careers. When Cleveland Indians players are hurt, they are transferred to Canal Park to play while they are going through treatment for various injuries. Prominent past and present Canal Park players include Albert Belle (leftfielder), Manny Ramirez (outfielder), Grady Sizemore (centerfielder), Jim Thome (first baseman, designated hitter, and third baseman), Victor Martinez (designated hitter, catcher, and first baseman), C. C. Sabathia (pitcher), and Ryan Merritt (pitcher).

The Akron Aeros’ mascot was Orbit. However, when the team was renamed the Rubber Ducks in 2012, Webster became the new mascot.

  • Courtesy of the Rubber Ducks Baseball Organization

Researched and written by Morgan Stocker & Hailey Wetzel

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