Salem Memorial Ballpark

Haley Toyota Field at Salem Memorial Ballpark is a minor league baseball park located in Salem, Virginia, and is part of the James E. Taliferro Sports and Entertainment Complex along with the Salem Civic Center and Salem Football Stadium, approximately 1mi southeast of downtown. Opened on, it is home to the Single-A Advanced Salem Red Sox of the Carolina League (CL) and can seat 6,300 people. It was built in 1995 at a cost of $10.1 million to replace Municipal Stadium, it offers an impressive view of the Blue Ridge Mountains.HistoryIn 1993, ownership of the then Salem Buccaneers were looking to sell the franchise. As the existing Municipal Stadium was not adequate to meet the needs of the franchise, Salem leaders looked at options to construct a new stadium in an effort to keep the franchise from relocating. In January 1994, Salem leaders approached both the City of Roanoke and Roanoke County in an effort to develop a regional partnership to construct a stadium. In March 1994, the Salem City Council decided a nonbinding referendum would be held later that summer to let the city residents decide if a new facility should be constructed. On July 19, Salem voters voted in favor of constructing a new ballpark with 2,236 people voting for and 398 voting against the proposal. With its citizens strongly supporting its construction, the Salem City Council voted unanimously on July 25 to approve construction of a new stadium.