Dozer Park

The City of Peoria is taking steps to restrict homeless encampments on public property, following other communities that have enacted similar bans in recent weeks.

The necessary upgrades include replacing and extending the protective netting all the way to the foul poles, installing LED lighting, and other interior renovations.

Here are 3 things to do for the weekend of Oct. 13 through Oct. 15, 2023, curated by WCBU's Meagan Ruger-Smith. You can find more coverage on our Out & About - Arts & Music page or by subscribing to WCBU's Weekend Fanfare email newsletter, which goes out every Friday.

Postseason pro baseball returns to Dozer Park for the first time since 2018 on Tuesday as the Peoria Chiefs open the Midwest League playoffs against the Cedar Rapids Kernels.

As the Peoria Chiefs continue to rebound from a 2020 season lost to COVID-19, a sharp rise in attendance this year offers optimism for the future. Heading into this week’s season-ending homestand, the team is on pace to see a reported attendance increase of more than 90% over last season.

Mike Reno is the head groundskeeper at Dozer Park, home of the Peoria Chiefs and Bradley University baseball teams. Last month, he served on the grounds crew for Super Bowl LVI at So-Fi Stadium, where the Rams won the title on their home field.

Peoria Chiefs general manager Jason Mott is optimistic fans won't sour on baseball during a labor dispute between Major League owners and players.

As the Peoria Chiefs finish off this season with a sponsored “fan appreciation week,” general manager Jason Mott is optimistic this year’s lagging attendance won't extend into 2022.

Attendance at Peoria Chiefs games is down around 80 percent from the team’s average in recent seasons, but general manager Jason Mott is not alarmed.

More than 1½ years seems like a long time. Calling it “20 months” makes it seem even longer, or “620 days” longer still. However it’s phrased, that was the length of the Peoria Chiefs’ separation from their hometown fans.