Not Your Normal Ballpark Frank

By Britney Wager

CLIFTON PARK – After a summer of baseball competitions at fields across the Capital Region and for the eight teams that have traveled to the 13-15-year-old Babe Ruth World Series in Clifton Park, it’s just not another hot dog or re-warmed pizza waiting for friends, families and fans.

The food vendors at the Clifton Park Babe Ruth World Series have something for everyone’s palette.

Three different vendors are available for the baseball fans, selling their items for the first year at the World Series for this year’s week long stretch of games.

The vendors provide something cool, something Southern and some traditional treats for everyone.

Jeff Endee, owner of Church Street Deli in Hoosick Falls provides the cool drinks fans crave in the August heat.

“Fresh-squeezed lemonade sells a lot better when it’s sunny and hot,” Endee said. “I try to order accordingly so I have plenty of supplies, it’s hard to know how many people are going to show.”

Endee offers frozen ice pops for the fans and their children, but went a step further to accommodate his customers, by providing a lemonade made with the sugar substitute, Splenda.

For those Southern visitors and fans who don’t mind having to lick their fingers during a meal, Helvi’s B-B-Q is your best bet.

Helvi’s General Store is located in Hoosick, that also caters events, plans a pig roast to help kick off the World Series Championship game scheduled for Friday, Aug. 25.

It was Endee who invited owner Bob Helvi to become involved in the World Series event.

The rain on Saturday afternoon didn’t appear to effect his station which offers pulled pork, B-B-Q ribs, corn on the cob and B-B-Q chicken.

“It’s been just as good today as yesterday,” Helvi said. “It doesn’t seem that the rain holds off people from coming to the games. I think it’s been good for the teams, vendors and the event all around making all the work put into it worth while.”

What would a festival be without fried dough? Rustey’s Pizza with its two locations in the Capital Region, provide the deep fried, sweet-tooth sensation, serving up nine-inch platters of hot dough with powdered sugar.

For something of more substance, Rustey’s also offers oven fresh pizza, sausage and pepper subs, nachos, French and cheese fries and boneless wings on site.
All three vendors appreciate the fans love of the game. Both vendors have added staff to offer their wares to the fans sitting in the bleachers and watching the games along the outfield fences. Just like the big league stadiums, vendors work their way up and down the baseball concourse at no extra charge.