Joliet Slammers give a taste of 2023 season

The Joliet Slammers’ home opener is Friday, and the food on the concessions menu is likely to open some eyes.

The city’s minor league baseball team on Friday introduced its 2023 menu at Duly Health and Care Field, providing a taste of the upcoming season, which will feature longer hot dogs, meatier hamburgers and more local beer from hometown breweries.

“We’re going to put on a better show,” General Manager Heather Mills said of what fans can expect. “We always want to improve year after year.”

Some traditions remain big attractions such as the popular Princess Nights, when girls come to the ballpark dressed as princesses. The first is June 2 and already almost sold out, Miller said.

But fans will see something different at the concession stands with a menu created by new Food and Beverage Director Joel Sigel.

Sigel gave tours of the stadium focused on the concession stands.

“Everything is the highest quality,” Sigel said of the food. “I don’t believe in doing anything cheap.”

Prices will be reasonable, however, he said.

Foot-long hot dogs are on the menu. Hamburgers will be bigger than last year and feature some special touches from Sigel, who has past experience at a steakhouse, riverboat casino and the Peoria Civic Center.

A barbecue burger will include sauteed onions and pepper and will be topped off with a fried green tomato. A pretzel burger will include a Canadian beer cheese sauce. And there will be a Slammers kielbasa.

And, if a 10-inch pork tenderloin sandwich isn’t big enough in itself for the hungriest appetites, fried macaroni and cheese is added as a topping.

The Slammers again will bring local vendors to the ballpark and have added some new ones.

The Creamery, a local chain of ice cream shops, will have a stand at the stadium.

Tom Wyler is bringing his Wyler BBQ to the ballpark.

Wyler said the menu will regularly feature certain items, including pulled pork sandwiches, but he will vary offerings during the week.

“On Saturday nights, I’m going to to do baby back ribs,” he said. “On Sundays, because it’s a family day, I’m going to do family slider packs.”

Sunshine Mexican Cafe, a Joliet restaurant that appeared at Duly Health and Care Field last year for the first time, will be back.

“They were a huge hit,” Mills said.

The variety of beers will include selections from MyGrain Brewing Company in Joliet, Will County Brewing Company in Shorewood, Mad Hatchet Brewing in Shorewood, and Nik and Ivy Brewing Company in Lockport.

For many Slammers fans, the main attraction is that the ballpark is so local.

“We live right down the street – five minutes away,” said Joe Pena of Joliet, who was at the Friday event.

Jereme Walters of Channahon and his family have become hosts, providing housing for Slammers players during the season.

Walters and his son, Connor, were at the Friday event.

“It’s like having an older brother,” Connor said of the visiting Slammers’ players.

One player taught him how to throw a one-seam fastball, he said.

Jereme said the family develops a relationship with the team, adding to the local experience of Slammers games.

“You meet the other players and you have a personal relationship with them,” he said. “They’re your friends – not just players that you go see.”