Delicious Veggie Burgers and a Taco Salad Bar Place Visalia Rawhide in the Top 10

For Immediate Release:
June 8, 2009

Contact:
Dan Shannon 757-622-7382

Visalia, Calif. -- Coming in at sixth place this year, Recreation Park, home of the Visalia Rawhide, has made PETA's annual rankings of the top 10 vegetarian-friendly minor-league ballparks. Rawhide fans can choose from a wide selection of health-, environment-, and animal-friendly options, including hearty vegetarian burgers and hot dogs, portobello mushroom sandwiches, vegetarian Greek wraps, and a taco salad bar.

Top athletes -- including slugger Prince Fielder, NBA star Raja Bell, mixed martial arts fighters Mac Danzig and Dale Hart, Miami Dolphins running back Ricky Williams, NBA legend John Salley, and Olympic great Carl Lewis -- look to meatless meals to boost their performance and help stop animal suffering. And judging by the ever-growing array of delicious vegetarian meals available at major-league and minor-league parks, fans are following their lead.

Grabbing first-place honors again this year is MerchantsAuto.com Stadium, home of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. Rounding out the top 10 are Frontier Field (Rochester Red Wings), PGE Park (Portland Beavers), Harry Grove Stadium (Frederick Keys), Durham Bulls Athletic Park (Durham Bulls), Fifth Third Field (Dayton Dragons), AutoZone Park (Memphis Redbirds), Nat Bailey Stadium (Vancouver Canadians), and FirstEnergy Ballpark (Lakewood BlueClaws). The Philadelphia Phillies' Citizens Bank Park was named the top major-league stadium for the third straight year.

"Recreation Park's great lineup of vegetarian eats is a sign of the respect that the Rawhide has for its loyal fans," says PETA Assistant Director Dan Shannon. "The fact is, anyone who improves his or her health, helps protect the planet, and saves animals' lives by going vegetarian is a winner."

Each team on the list will receive a framed certificate and a congratulatory letter from PETA. For more information and to view the complete list of minor-league and major-league winners, please visit PETA.org.