ROC Ventures has been developing Routine Field, a 4,000-seat baseball stadium in Franklin, Wis., for a year now. On Monday, June 3, the company announced its partnership with Leinenkugel’s brewing company for the Leinenkugel’s Hop Yard, a beer garden and concession stand that will sit on the third base line of the future field. Routine Field will open Monday, June 24, after being postponed due to rough weather conditions over the winter and spring.
Joe Zimmerman, the Vice President of ROC Ventures, said, “We wanted to make sure we had family friendly, affordable entertainment we could offer to the community. I believe the Hop Yard is a really good example of that.” Patrons can buy an all-you-can-eat-and-drink ticket to the Hop Yard so they can watch the game and choose from an array of local beers and food. The Hop Yard will offer non-alcoholic tickets for a reduced price for the sober patrons as well.
The partnership between Leinenkugel’s and ROC Ventures is important because it gives more exposure to Franklin and the greater Milwaukee area. “Paying homage to any local business is fantastic,” Zimmerman said, “but being able to partner with a company as large and well-known as Leinenkugel’s is even more special because they put on a great quality of products.” Since the stadium was meant to be an ode to the Wisconsin farmer, the Hop Yard seemed to be a natural component to the new field.
“Any time [ROC] gets to highlight local brands and businesses, especially the Milwaukee Milkmen, is very special,” Zimmerman added.
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Zimmerman said that ROC plans to program the field as much as possible during the summer. ROC’s planned events for Routine Field include two concerts, a potential Oktoberfest-style event and soccer events with Milwaukee Wave. June 24 will be the inaugural opening of the Milwaukee Milkmen’s home season at Routine Field. The Milkmen have been playing their home games at the Kokomo Municipal Stadium in Kokomo, Indiana since Routine Field’s opening was postponed.
The Milwaukee Milkmen will be playing at Kokomo Municipal Stadium through June 15. For tickets and more information, visit milwaukeemilkmen.com.
