The Hangar
Lancaster, CA
Review by Mike
The Hangar, aka Lancaster Municipal Stadium, was the home of the Lancaster JetHawks of the California League. The ballpark opened in 1996 and hosted Class A affiliated ball for 15 seasons before the JetHawks were contracted in the Great Minor League Shakeup. The ballpark hosted the Pecos League for one season in 2023, but the latest word is that the future of The Hangar lies on the pitch, the soccer pitch, that is, as a reconfigured stadium for the USL.
This is a no-frills, mid-90s minor league ballpark that looks like the twin of San Manuel Stadium in San Bernardino, which also opened in 1996 and lies just 75 miles to the Southeast. Perhaps they got a 2-for-1 deal. A split-level seating bowl surrounds the infield, with the lower section of seats extending down towards each foul pole, providing good views that are close to the field. A suite and press level rises at the back of the upper bowl.
The concourse is behind the grandstand, offering no view of the field while exploring the amenities and, most notably, there is no semblance of a roof or canopy to protect fans from the blazing sun of the western Mojave Desert. This seems to me to be a fatal oversight in a city where summertime temperatures average in the upper 90s and often exceed 100 degrees. In fact, the only shade at the facility is in the parking lot, where one section is covered by solar panels.
There are no obvious frills here, but that may simply be because it had been four years since the JetHawks left town. The stadium is in good shape, but it looks tired with fading seats, stained concrete on the concourse ,and warped plywood in the outfield fence. There is a small deck with picnic tables down the left field line and grass berms for the kids to run around and chase foul balls down either line.
The field is in excellent condition and presumably still serves the community for high school baseball and tournaments. The Hangar is a perfectly serviceable, if unremarkable, stadium that could host minor league baseball again if the will was there. The coolest thing about the place is the jet plane on a stick outside the front entrance. Here’s hoping that its future as a soccer stadium breathes new life into a facility that should still serve its community for many years to come.
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2024
246
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