MWL1 Quad Cities River Bandits

"Van Down by the River" Chosen as Finalist for Promotional Award

Published on August 24, 2009 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Quad Cities River Bandits News Release


Minor League Baseball is known for its wide variety of unique and attention-getting promotions, and every very year the best and brightest promotional minds in the business meet for one weekend to share ideas for the future and pay tribute to the best promotions from the past season.

At this year's Minor League Baseball Promotional Seminar, the Quad Cities River Bandits will be a hot topic of conversation. From a selection of more than 200 promotions spanning 65 different clubs, the River Bandits' "Van Down by the River" has been chosen as one of five finalists in the "In-Game Promotion" category.

"We are excited that the Minor League Baseball community is recognizing our Van Down by the River promotion as one of the best of the year," said team owner Dave Heller. "I've always said the best ideas come from our fans, and this is a perfect example. The idea was presented by a fan during our ‘Name the Promotion' contest last winter, and we liked it so much that we went ahead with it even though our fans voted for the Bandit Wedding, which will take place on September 4. All season long we've gotten great feedback from fans that love the idea and have enjoyed the experience of literally watching a baseball game from a van down by the river!"

The concept was submitted by Jody Swanson of Geneseo and inspired by the famous Saturday Night Live sketch starring the late Chris Farley as motivational speaker Matt Foley. The River Bandits bought a van, decked it out with a branded wrap and parked it on the right field berm. On a daily basis, tickets for the Van Down by the River are given away by radio personalities Dwyer & Michaels to callers during their morning show on 97X Classic Hits. The outing includes fixed seats inside of the van and lawn chairs placed around it. The River Bandits then built on the idea by adding the "Jack Squat Jackpot" - an ever increasing cash prize that would be split with the ticketholders and a local charity should a River Bandits player hit a home run that dings the van during a home game.

The van has stood out as a unique and eye-catching promotion ever since, drawing attention from fans and media alike, including a story on www.deadspin.com earlier this summer and mentions on radio talk shows from Seattle to New York City.

The winning promotion for each category will be voted on during the 2009 Promotional Seminar in New Orleans from September 30-October 3. The promotion with the highest votes in each category will be crowned the "Best of" in that category, and the promotion with the most votes regardless of category will be named the best overall promotion.

"The Van Down by the River is a great idea that we jumped on immediately," said Vice President and General Manager Kirk Goodman. "It's the kind of thing that always draws a positive reaction when our fans hear about it. When a promotion draws attention, drives media and gets people talking about your team, you know you have something special that works. For this idea to have come from a fan makes it that much more special to the River Bandits!"

UP NEXT: The River Bandits begin an eight-game road stretch with a 6:30 p.m. first pitch on Monday night in Peoria, but will be back at Modern Woodmen Park for the final three regular season home games of the year from September 2-4. The action resumes with a Modern Woodmen Half-Price Night on Wednesday, September 2, as the first 1,000 fans will get a special River Bandits hat and the famous Klement's racing sausages will be in attendance. The last Thirst-day Thursday of the year will also be Tattoo Night, and fans that get a free River Bandits tattoo will be able to show it at the box office for a free berm ticket to any game in 2010. Lastly, the 2009 regular season will conclude with Fan Appreciation Night on Friday, September 4, featuring the first-ever Bandit Wedding and one last pyrotechnic extravaganza on a Fireworks Friday!

ABOUT THE BANDITS: The Quad Cities River Bandits set a new post-renovation mark for single-season attendance when the team passed the 2008 figure with six games remaining in 2009. Ticket sales, concessions, merchandise sales, sponsorships and even Kids' Zone revenues are all up over last season, which was one of the team's best in history! Banditwear and individual game tickets are still on sale for the last few games of the 2009 season by calling (563) 3-BANDIT or heading to www.RiverBandits.com. Season ticket deposits for 2010 are already being taken!

Check out the Quad Cities River Bandits Statistics

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Midwest League Stories from August 24, 2009


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