Countless volunteers and contributors “stepped up to the plate” under the leadership and hard work of the Waconia Lions and Waconia Baseball Association to create Lions Field, arguably the nicest ballpark in the area. “A baseball gem,” “amazing,” “unbelievable” and “holy cow” are just a few of the comments people have made when entering Lions Field, home of the Waconia Islanders, Waconia Lakers, Waconia Senior Legion, Waconia Junior Legion, Waconia Mickey Mantle and the Waconia Varsity and JV Wildcats.

In 1995, the Waconia Lions Club donated $30,000 toward the construction of a new baseball field for Waconia. The field was constructed in 1997, and the addition of dugouts, lights, and other amenities made it a fun park for teams to play on. In recognition of that donation, the baseball field was named Lions Field. The Club continued support for the field by helping to finance ongoing maintenance costs.

In 2014, the Waconia Baseball Association determined that it was time to launch an effort to improve the grandstand area for the field and the Lions again heeded the call by committing $125,000 to the “Raise the Grandstand” project. The Waconia Lions, the City of Waconia , and School District #110 were the major pillars in the campaign. Together with the help of the community, they finished the project just in time for the 2017 baseball season. The new grandstand and updated field has been a “home run” for the community and fans, and even though admission is usually free, the field will pay dividends for years to come.