Skylands Ice Sculpture Extravaganza a Success

There wasn’t any snow covering the baseball field at Skylands Stadium on Saturday, but inside the stadium’s event center, it was a winter wonderland during the stadium’s “Frozen in Ice” ice sculpture extravaganza.  Read more and view photo here.  Thanks to John Cerone for the link.

Ice Sculpture Extravaganza at Skylands Stadium

As an encore to their “Dazzling Christmas Light Show” Skylands Stadium is now creating “Frozen in Ice” — the ballpark’s first-ever ice sculpture extravaganza that will run for 19 days starting on Friday, Feb. 5.  Read more here.  View photos here.  Thanks to John Cerone for the heads up.

Book About Skylands Park, New Jersey Cardinals Released

Rob Hilliard has released a book called The Circus is in Town — A Baseball Odyssey, a 790-page manuscript chronicling every detail of the deal to build Skylands Park in Frankford Township (NJ) and the relocation of the Hamilton Redbirds (Single-A, New York-Penn League) to the new stadium as the renamed New Jersey Cardinals.  The book also traces his lifelong love of baseball from his childhood days to his cameo appearance as a sports writer in the 2013 movie 42 about Jackie Robinson.  Read more here.  Thanks to John Cerone for the link.

Wheelhouse Kitchen & Bar Set to Open at Skylands Stadium

When Al Dorso and a group of investors purchased Skylands Park in October 2013 he took a tour of the 4,200-seat stadium and began formulating a vision of what he wanted the stadium to look like.  The vision included a restaurant, which after two years of being a dream is on the cusp of opening.  Read more here.  Read about the end of the Miners season here.  Thanks to John Cerone for the links.

Ballpark Visit ALERT: Skylands Stadium (Augusta, NJ)

Amanda Lippert from BaseballStadiumReviews.com recently visited Skylands Stadium (formerly Skylands Park), the new home of the first-year Sussex County Miners (Indy Pro, Can-Am League).  View photos here.

Pro Ball Returns to Sussex Stadium

The Sussex County Miners (Indy Pro, Can-Am League) opened their inaugural home stand on Monday night in front of a crowd of 3,819 at Skylands Stadium.  This is the first time the ballpark has hosted professional baseball since the Sussex Skyhawks (Indy Pro, Can-Am League) folded in 2011.  Read more here.  View photo here.

Miners Hold Exhibition Game Before Inaugural Home Opener on Memorial Day

Saturday’s game between the Sussex County Miners and the New Jersey Jackals (Indy Pro, Can-Am League) was just an exhibition, but it was the first time since the Sussex Skyhawks (Indy Pro, Can-Am League) closed up shop in 2011 that professional baseball players took the field at Skylands Stadium.  The team’s first home game will be on Memorial Day, May 25, at 7:05 p.m.  Read more here.

New Videoboard Up at Skylands Stadium

Skylands Stadium (formerly Skylands Park) will debut a new videoboard when the Sussex County Miners (Indy Pro, Can-Am League) take the field on May 25 for the team’s inaugural home opener.  View videoboard photo gallery here.  Thanks to John Cerone for the heads up.

Miners Getting New Video Board

The old scoreboard at at Sklylands Stadium (formerly Skylands Park), home of the first-year Sussex County Miners (Indy Pro, Can-Am League), is gone.  A new video board is expected to arrive soon.  Read more here.  Thanks to John Cerone for the heads up.

Old scoreboard at Skylands Stadium, Sussex County Miners Facebook photo

Semi-Pro Football Returns to Resuscitated Skylands Park/Stadium

The Sussex County Miners (Indy Pro, Can-Am League) won’t be the only team taking up residence at Skylands Stadium this season.  A football team called the Sussex Stags (Semi-Pro, Empire Football League), Formerly the New Jersey Stags when they played at then-Skylands Park from 2010-11, will be back playing this summer after a four-year hiatus.  Read more here.  Thanks to John Cerone for the heads up.

Chase Hired as GM for New Skylands Stadium Team

Al Dorso Jr., who bought Skylands Stadium and will own a new franchise in the indy pro Can-Am League, has hired former minor league and Baseball America executive Dave Chase as his team’s general manager.  Read more here.  Thanks to John Cerone for the heads up.

Skylands Stadium: Future Home of Can-Am League Franchise to Host Christmas Light Show

PRESS RELEASE – Skylands Stadium today announced that it will hold a spectacular drive-through Christmas Light Show every weekend throughout the holiday season, featuring breathtaking light sculptures set to joyous holiday music. The light exhibit will showcase picturesque nativity scenes, a twinkling snowflake forest, adorable skating penguins, traditional Victorian scenes, jolly snowmen

Still No Franchise for Skylands, But Bring on the Scare

The new owners of Skylands Park in Augusta (NJ), the former home of the Sussex Skyhawks (Can-Am League) and Single-A New Jersey Cardinals (New York-Penn League), have temporarily transformed their idle stadium into “Scareland Stadium,” an interactive haunted attraction that opens for Halloween-season recreation the first weekend of October.  Read more here.  Thanks to John Cerone for the news.

No Public Marketplace for Skylands Park Property

The Frankford (NJ) Land Use Board voted 6-1 Wednesday night to deny an application that would have allowed the use of the currently vacant Skylands Park property as the site of a marketplace.  There has been no new news on the possibility of bringing baseball back to the still-vacant 4,200-seat ballpark.  The facility has been without a baseball team since the indy pro Sussex Skyhawks

Events Beyond Baseball Targeted for Skylands Park

As one of the new owners of Skylands Park in Sussex County (NJ), Al Dorso Jr. knows he’s going to need more than just baseball to keep the place afloat.  While baseball is expected to be part of the stadium’s future, Dorso and his partners are working with Fastlane Communications, a New York City marketing firm, to develop events geared toward families and young people.  Read more here.

Group Buying Skylands Park, Baseball Possible in 2015 (UPDATED)

Al Dorso Sr., president of the State Fair Meadowlands, said Wednesday that he is heading up a team of six investors purchasing vacant Skylands Park baseball stadium in Augusta (NJ).  One of the investors is Nick Corrado, owner of a shopping mall and cousin of the late actor James Gandolfini.  Dorso hopes to attract a minor league baseball team by the 2015 season.  Read more here.  UPDATE:  Stadium sold for $850,000.  Read more here.  Thanks to John Cerone for the links.

Hopes Dim for Skylands Park Revival

Carl Barbati, sports editor for the New Jersey Herald, takes a look at the current Skylands Park situation and the hope, or lack thereof, for indy pro ball returning to the stadium any time soon.  He talks about the state of the resuscitated Northern league and futilely (for a second time) brings up the Atlantic League as an option.  Read more here.  Thanks to John Cerone for the link.

No Skylands Park for Revived Northern League

As the revived indy pro Northern League works to add more markets beyond recently announced Elkhart County (IN), it appears vacant Skylands Park in Sussex County (NJ) will not be part of the league re-launch in 2014.  Read more here.  Thanks to John Cerone for the link.

New Owner of Skylands Explores Options, Lower Annual Property Tax Bill Should Help

Mark Roscioli Jr., owner of real estate investment firm 17 Mile LLC, continues to explore his options for a primary baseball tenant at Skylands Park after finalizing a deal to purchase the facility for $950,000.  After learning that the park’s annual property tax liability has been lowered from $120,000+ to $30,000, we have more confidence in this effort.  Read more here.  Thanks to Johnny Regan for the story.

Two Other Leagues Interested in Skylands Park

It didn’t take long after the sale of Skylands Park in Sussex County (NJ) to real estate investment firm 17 Mile LLC for leagues beyond the pre-sale rumbling from the indy pro Atlantic League (or ABL2) to show interest in playing at the currently vacant facility.  The summer collegiate Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League and newly revived indy pro

Skylands Park Sold

In positive new for the possible return of baseball to Sussex County (NJ), the sale of Skylands Park to Ardmore (PA)-based real estate investment firm 17 Mile LLC indeed closed on Friday, March 15.  The facility sold for $950,000, plus $160,000 in overdue taxes and related fees.  Skylands is the former home of the Single-A New Jersey Cardinals (New York-Penn League) and indy pro Sussex Skyhawks

Skylands Deal to Close Next Thursday, Patriots Chairman Rejects Idea of ABL2 Feeder Circuit

As real estate investment firm 17 Mile LLC looks to close next Friday on a deal to acquire Skylands Park, Steve Kalafer, chairman of the indy pro Somerset Patriots (Atlantic League), firmly dismissed any notion of an ABL feeder team coming Sussex County.  More broadly, according to the New Jersey Herald, Kalafer issued a statement late Thursday saying “there is no value at this

Sale of Skylands Park Postponed, Not Dead

The deal to sell Skylands Park in Sussex County (NJ) to real estate investment firm 17 Mile is apparently not dead after all.  Mark Roscioli, owner of Ardmore (PA)-based 17 Mile, says the closing has been rescheduled for Friday, March 15.   Read more here.

Sale of Skylands Park Called Off

After coming to terms earlier this month on the pending transfer of ownership of Skylands Park, the parties to the deal said last Thursday that the sale of the 4,200-seat ballpark, which was scheduled to be  finalized on March 1, is apparently a no go.  Read more here and here.  Thanks to John Cerone for the story.

Baseball to Return to Skylands Park

While the deal is not yet finalized, Ardmore (PA)-based 17 Mile LLC plans to buy vacant Skylands Park in Sussex County (NJ) for $950,000.  The group is reportedly in negotiations with two separate baseball outfits to find a team to play at the stadium beginning in 2014.  Read more here.

Investor Now Skylands Lienholder

Matt Milano, a private investor who has no interest in returning baseball to Skylands Park, now holds the tax lien certificate to the vacant stadium after snatching it up for $159,946.23 at today’s auction.  While baseball is not necessary done at the park, it could take a while to sort this one out.  Millennium Sports Management, the stadium’s owner, could still redeem the property for a price within the next

Skylands Park Saga Continues

As we posted last week, Skylands Park in Frankford Township (NJ) is going on the auction block today to cover $57,277 in back taxes owed by Millennium Sports Management.  However, Millennium is expected to pay the taxes and redeem the property, as the organization has apparently found a potential buyer for the property.  In addition, the indy pro Atlantic League is still exploring the facility for use by

Skylands Park on the Auction Block

Skylands Park, the former home of the indy pro Sussex SkyHawks (Can-Am League) and Single-A New Jersey Cardinals (New York-Penn League), is going up for auction on Wednesday, Dec. 12, to satisfy a $57,277.43 tax lien placed on the property by Frankford Township.  We assume Millennium Sports Management, the owner of the ballpark, could still

Skylands Park to Live Again With New Sewer?

Currently vacant Skylands Park, former home of the defunct indy pro Sussex SkyHawks (Can-Am League) and relocated Single-A New Jersey Cardinals (New York-Penn League), will reportedly be connected to the new sewer system being built in Frankford Township (NJ).  This appears to send a signal that the ballpark will live to fight another day, if a new tenant can be found.  Read more here.  Thanks to John Cerone for the link.

Still No Solid Future for Skylands Park

Millenium Sports Management Corp. continues to struggle to sell or find a new tenant for 4,200-seat Skylands Park, the former home of the indy pro Sussex Skyhawks (Can-Am League) and Single-A New Jersey Cardinals (New York-Penn League).   Located in rural Frankford Township (NJ), Skylands remains for sale at $1.99 million.   A request to lower the facility’s annual

Skylands Park Owner Challenges Property Valuation, Tax Assessment

Millennium Sports Management, the owner and operator of teamless Skylands Park in Sussex County (NJ), has filed a property tax appeal challenging the county’s $125,207 tax assessment on the property based on a valuation of $6.7 million.  Millenium paid a whopping $121,503 in 2010.

A Development Vision for Skylands Park Area

Planners for the area surrounding Skylands Park in Augusta (NJ), former home for the Can-Am League’s defunct Sussex Skyhawks, presented a 20-year vision statement for the area on Wednesday during a joint meeting of the Frankford Township Committee, Land Use Board and Frankford Plan Endorsement Advisory Committee.  Read more here.  Thanks to John Cerone for the link.

Sussex Ballpark For Sale

Skylands Park, the 17-year-old stadium owned and operated by Millenium Sports Management, is now for sale.  The pricetag is $1,990,000.  Now, that may not seem like much for a ballpark like Skylands, but the annual property tax bill in Frankford Township (NJ) has been coming in at around $121,000 on an assessed value of $6.7 million.  Review our full report here from January.  Thanks to Brian Merzbach for the news.

More on the Future of Skylands Park

As ballpark owner/operator Millenium Sports Management continues to search for a new tenant for Skylands Park after the demise of the Can-Am League’s Sussex (Augusta, NJ) Skyhawks, there is concern in Frankford Township about future property tax revenues, should things truly go south for the 17-year-old stadium.

New Suitors for Skylands Park?

Now that the Can-Am League’s Sussex (Augusta, NJ) Skyhawks have called it quits, Millenium Sports Management, the company that owns and operates Skylands Park, is searching for a new tenant.  Apparently Millenium has fielded interest from both the affiliated and indy pro ranks.  Interest in the park could be bolstered by a new town center that is expected to be built at Ross Corner.  Read more here.