Kernels not nutty about this promotion

Baseball is the crack of the bat. Baseball is singing the seventh-inning stretch.

Baseball is hearing a vendor in the stands yelling "Peanuts, popcorn, Cracker Jack!"

Scratch that Tuesday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium. The Cedar Rapids Kernels are holding their second Food Allergy Awareness Night, with no products containing "peanuts or tree nuts" being sold at the stadium's concession stands.

Tickets are being sold at a discounted rate of $6.50.

"Kane County told us they did it and had a lot of great success with it," said Jessica Fergesen, the Kernels' Director of Marketing and Public Relations. "We had a lot of positive feedback last year from people who had never been to a game because they were scared."

Stadium Operations Director Seth Dohrn spent most of the past week power washing the Memorial Stadium stands to get rid of any and all nut residue. Perfect Game USA held a showcase event at the stadium last weekend but peanuts were not allowed on the premises.

The Kernels are making available alternative snacks for tonight's game against Clinton, such as fruit snacks, sunflower seeds and small bags of pretzels. Popcorn also will be available.

But, again, just don't ask for any peanuts.

"Last year, we got a number of e-mails from people," Fergesen said. "The night of the event, we had several parents come to different staff members and express how happy they were because they could bring their kids to a game. Some were very emotional about it."

Fergesen said she knows a family that has a 5-year-old girl who has several allergies, including to peanuts. She said the little girl came to last year's Food Allergy Awareness Night but still wore rubber gloves as a precaution.

"I wasn't aware how bad it is for some people," Fergesen said. "Until I met this family."