No-peanut zone makes Fifth Third Ballpark safe haven (Peanut Fascists strike again)

Grand Rapids Press ^ | June 3rd, 2004 | Shannon Vesper

[Sabertooth]

Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack ...

This familiar line from the baseball anthem "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" doesn't have the same happy meaning for Timothy Haverkamp that it does for most fans.

Timothy, a first-grader from Ada Elementary, is allergic to peanuts.

"He was allergic to everything when he was little. His brother is allergic to peanuts, too," Jane Haverkamp, Timothy's mother, said. "He never had a life-threatening emergency with peanuts, but we don't keep any at home."

Timothy attended Wednesday's West Michigan Whitecaps game without fear of an attack. The team hosted its second "Peanut Free" day during an 11 a.m. game at Fifth Third Ballpark against the Fort Wayne Wizards.

The game was also the Whitecaps' third School Days promotion of the year, with groups of schoolchildren in attendance.

All peanut products -- from Reese's Peanut Butter Cups to chopped peanuts for ice cream -- were pulled from concession stands, and the stands received a special cleaning Tuesday night.

" We remove any peanuts from the stand or any product with peanut or peanut oil and take it off site. We pressure wash where the peanut roaster was and was," concessions manager Matt Timon said. "We get rid of everything contaminated by peanuts and take get rid of it for the day.

"The vendors are real supportive of it and help us out with it. They were fine with pulling their product for the entire day. They weren't concerned with the lost sales. Pulling candy bars on kids day is a tough thing to do. There is some loss, but it's worth it to get the kids with allergies in the game."

According to the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, more than three million Americans suffer from a peanut allergy. Even the smallest particle of peanut can trigger a reaction. Some reactions include hives or slow breathing, but some can be life threatening.

"It is nice to know that we don't even have to worry about it today," Jane Haverkamp said.

The "Peanut Free" day was started last year when Rebecca Andrusiak, a parent from Ada Elementary, contacted the Whitecaps. She told the team that because of her son's allergy, he would not be able to attend the School Days game with his classmates unless peanuts were removed from the stadium.

Whitecaps officials consulted the most knowledgeable sources they could find about how to make the stadium a no-peanut zone.

"We talked to parents of kids that already have the allergies," Timon said. "They're all really familiar since they have been dealing with it their whole lives, and told us what we needed."

[G.Mason]

"You obviously don't like "Peanut-Free Day at the Ballpark." Are you suggesting we pass a law that outlaws ballparks from hoving peanut-free days? Doesn't the ballpark have the right to have peanut-free days if it wants?"

Obviously I don't like "Peanut-Free Day at the Ballpark."! And no I am not suggesting we pass a law. In fact, we have had over two hundred years of Congress passing laws, and the only law I would approve of is one that made Congress repeal laws, enacting no new ones, for the next two hundred years.

What I really like, is trite people.

What do you think about a "Trite People Only Day" at the old ball park? ;)

[Your Nightmare]

One would have to be blind not to see the correlation between that and the erosion of freedoms that has become predominate in our society.

I must be blind.


While were at it, how about a section reserved for people with dogs. After that we can get a cat lovers section, for those who want to bring their cats to the ball game.

Here's a ballpark that chose to have a "Bark at the Park" and people could bring their dogs. link They had the freedom to let dogs into their stadium, if somebody didn't like dogs they had the freedom to stay home.

[discostu]

But it's like 1 out of a million people with peanut allergies so bad that even peanut dust could set them off. Why should the entire rest of the country re-arrange how they live for such a tiny number of people? People that have food allergies need to think ahead, I know plenty of people with plenty of different food allergies and they just cope, that's what you're supposed to do in life, not demand the world change for you.

[HungarianGypsy]

I had a little boy in Sunday School class that was allergic to soy. His mom would always bring the snacks for our class, so as not to be a burden. It was because of this that I was introduced to yummy Snyder's pretzels.

[vabeachrepub]

You are right in that it is strange that it has only recently become a problem. I didn't know about it all until my son had his reaction. I don't know what you mean by misdiagnosis though. My son is definable allergic to peanuts and that allergy is life threatening. Fortunately through prudence on our part mainly he has only ever had one reaction. But we have had him tested every year and his allergy most certainly is to peanuts.

The only real link they have been able to find is to breast feeding. My wife used to snack on peanut butter crackers when breast feeding our son. Somehow the babies are not able to break down the protein when they are younger and that is what they think leads to the allergy - because the baby's body can't break it down the protein it treats it like a foreign pollutant. Over 85% of the kids with peanut allergies were breast fed.

[Your Nightmare]

Nobody is sure why the incidence of peanut allergies is increasing. There are theories. One suggests that the use of peanut oil in skin creams and baby lotion. Other suggest changes in our diet. Anyway, the incidence is increasing. One report stated that self-reported peanut allergies doubled from 1997-2002. About a third of emergency room patients treated for anaphylactic shock are due to peanut allergies. This is a real issue.

[Xenalyte]

The team hosted its second "Peanut Free" day during an 11 a.m. game at Fifth Third Ballpark against the Fort Wayne Wizards.

AAAAAAARGH! With no hyphen, this means the team is giving away peanuts gratis. It should be "Peanut-Free," and since I am apparently the only American who cares at all about grammatical precision, I shall continue to rail about it.

[AppyPappy]

My son has a life threatening peanut allergy. Even casual contact with the peanut is enough to cause a fatal reaction if not treated immediately.

Dumb question: Where were these people when I was in school?

[vabeachrepub]

No - its not like 1 out of a million. Its like 10,000 out of a million. And I am not asking for the rest of the people to rearrange their lives. We do cope and have been doing well so far.

The so called "peanut fascists" have asked for three things that I can think of off the top of my head
1. A section at a ballpark where no peanuts are served.
2. No peanuts on airplanes.
3. Full labels of ingredients on packaged foods.

I would like to hear how any one of those things has "rearranged" your life.

[rintense]

Right in my own backyard. I used to live right next to the park.

[Xenalyte]

My new band will be called George Washington Carver and the Bastard Legacy Peanuts.

[FrankR]

Please find that right in the Constitution.
My "right" to go to the ballpark is pretty well covered in the life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness clause...makes me happy to go there [at least before the peanut police arrived].

"If the ballpark says "no peanuts," you can't bring peanuts in. Period."
Damn, you're sort of testy about this aren't you? I'm not even going to mention tobacco...jeeezzzeeee

"Certain customers requested that this business accomodate them. The business decided that doing so would be a good thing. Maybe they thought it would give good PR, maybe they just wanted to be nice to kids with allergies. It doesn't matter. Nobody sued them, nobody held a gun to their heads."

Isn't that nice...
"I'm not telling you to stay home. The ballpark is telling you to stay home if you won't abide by its rules. Why is that so hard to grasp?"

Oh, here we go...liberal trolls always try to underline their point of view with the "why is that so hard to grasp" line. Well, Mr. Bleeding Heart, I do grasp what you are saying, I JUST HAPPEN NOT TO AGREE WITH IT. Does your self-effacing sense of liberty not include that?

Anyone with evan a modium of common sense can see the irony of the tail wagging the dog here. If you can't see it, maybe you're not as "modern" as you think.

It's obvious that you are a card-carrying member of the peanut police, and are hell bent on having it your way...so, OK...have it your way.

[Xenalyte]

Peanut-Free Day at the Ballpark."

I love you.

[vabeachrepub]

Its not a dumb question. They weren't there when I was going to school either. The rise in this allergy is something new and they don't know why or how it is rising as dramatically as it is. It has always existed - but as recently as 20 years ago it was extremely rare. The number has more than doubled from 1997 to 2002 alone and now more than 1% of the kids today are getting it.

[Xenalyte]

I would SO bring the Dread Boston Salty to that!

[AppyPappy]

We have several kids at our kids school who are "deathly, fatally" allergic to peanuts. I find this odd because their chance for exposure is pretty high in a public school. Kids bring peanuts and peanut butter all the time.

If my child were truly "fatally" allergic to ANYTHING that common at school, they would never set foot in school. Their lives are too important to risk death. That is why I rather doubt these claims of "fatally" allergic.

[discostu]

1% of the population has this allergry so bad it could kill them?! BS.

How they re-arrange my life is that I happen to be quite fond of nuts. They're a tasty little snack and excellent for occasions like being on airplanes and at ball games, peanuts are part of the mistique of baseball, might as well have a 7th inning stretchless game for people in a hurry. The only one of those requests that's at all legitimate is the 3rd. Accurate packaging would help all people with food allergies and people on diets. The other two are completely bogus. Should the people that have tomato allergies get a pizza free section of the ballpark? The people with regular pollen allergies get a flower free section of the Rose Parade? I know, how about we chop up all public gathering spaces by the allergen their free of that way nobody will get the sniffles?! It's absurd.

[Xenalyte]

Snyder's? These?



I can eat the Honey Mustard and Onion Nibblers by the pound.

[FrankR]

"You know, I thought this might be the one thread today where nothing is blamed on Clinton. Oh well.
I know...ain't it fun?

[Xenalyte]

The only real link they have been able to find is to breast feeding. My wife used to snack on peanut butter crackers when breast feeding our son. Somehow the babies are not able to break down the protein when they are younger and that is what they think leads to the allergy - because the baby's body can't break it down the protein it treats it like a foreign pollutant. Over 85% of the kids with peanut allergies were breast fed.

So if Mom stays away from peanut products while pregnant and breast-feeding, the allergy shouldn't develop? If that's kinda correct, I'm telling my sister. I refuse to have a tubful of nieces to whom I cannot feed PB&J sammiches.