AUBURN - Every teen looks forward to summer when school is out. Many teens take on responsibility throughout the summer with a job to earn extra money for clothes, a car and college. Falcon Park, home of the Auburn Doubledays, is a large employer of teenagers who work during June, July and August. This month's Cooks of the Month serve up tasty ballpark food. During a recent Saturday night visit, the concession stand employees were hard at work, as the Doubledays took on the Mahoning Valley Scrappers.

Kevin Breen, assistant general manager of the Doubledays, supervises about 40 high school and college students that work the concession stand at Falcon Park. In his second year as assistant general manager, Breen is also a graduate of the sports management program at St. John Fisher.

"We had a crazy opening night here last week, with 3,407 people in attendance. The park was packed and the staff here did a terrific job, some of whom it was their first night working."

The night starts at 5:15 p.m., for the concessions staff, preparing for the 7 p.m. game that evening. At 5:30 p.m., the grill and the fry cook come in to get things started. Working the grill that evening was David Kent, who graduated the previous evening from Auburn High School.

This is Kent's second year at Falcon Park. He had the Hofmann hot dogs cooking on the grill, turning them at just the right moment and scooping them into the warming pan when they were done. Doubledays general manager Carl Gutelius, says that their hot dogs, burgers and sausages taste just like they came off your charcoal grill at home, thanks to the special grill they have at Falcon Park; they even have the grill marks on them.

Kent enjoys cooking at home too, his specialty being fettuccine alfredo. He likes looking through cookbooks, citing "The Joy of Cooking" as his favorite. He also claims to be obsessed with the Iron Chef from the Food Network, watching it whenever he can. Kent enjoys the challenge of keeping up the fast pace of cooking at Falcon Park, particularly when it is as busy as it was on opening night. When eating at the ball park, he enjoys the chicken patty sandwich. In the fall, David will head off to Ithaca College to study music education.

Kent's colleague in the grill area that evening was Michael Horsford. His job was cooking the french fries, chicken patties and peppers for the sausage sandwiches.

When asked what the secret is to cooking french fries to perfection, Horsford replied, "When you think the fries are done, they're not. Let them go just a little bit longer; then they are done." Horsford is also a recent AHS graduate and he too will attend Ithaca College in the fall, studying music.

While Kent and Horsford worked the grill area, David Dearstyne and Peggy Fandrich entertained their coworkers and customers, with a little song and dance number in their cashier positions. Dearstyne is a third-year veteran in the concessions stand. He said he enjoys working at Falcon Park, because whether it's really busy or really chilly, it's always fun.

"I grew up with baseball and I love it because you can check out the game while you're here. It's a good job with good hours and lots of my friends work here." Dearstyne recommends that customers try the cheesy fries -they're awesome. He also likes the frozen lemonade because, "It starts out like a slushy and as it melts, it ends up as an ice cold lemonade drink." Dearstyne is an AHS graduate and will attend the theater program at OCC in the fall.

His song and dance partner, Peggy Fandrich, enjoys working at Falcon Park as well. She likes the customers and says that "all of my friends work here." Fandrich also likes the cheesy fries and recommends the fiesta nachos as well. "We top nacho chips with cheese, salsa and hot peppers and they are delicious," Fandrich said.

In her spare time, she likes going to the movies, and gives two thumbs up to the latest Batman movie, "Batman Begins." She enjoys reading and she and Dearstyne can't wait until the new Harry Potter book comes out. "We've both reserved our copies at Waldenbooks and we're going to the big party there on July 15. Fandrich goes to Cornell University, where she is studying Japanese in the linguistics program. She hopes to become an interpreter.

Two of the newer employees worked that night as "runners," getting items that people need. Eli Petrosino and Allison Barrette were working their second game that evening. They got their training at the Kids Night program that Falcon Park had prior to the season starting. They received their "baptism by fire" on opening night, which both described as "totally crazy, with people everywhere you turned."

Throughout Falcon Park are concession carts and with the 95-degree heat that evening, the ice cream cart and lemonade stand had a constant stream of customers.

Amanda Carbary, who will head off to Crouse Hospital in the fall to study nursing, was working her second day at Falcon Park at the ice cream treat cart. She was very popular with the young children, as several of them made a bee-line straight for her cart asking mom and dad to please buy them an ice cream.

She recommends the Push-ups to a dad with two children, one of whom was saying "popsicle" repeatedly, telling Dad that the Push-ups are very popular with children. She also gave advice to a mom buying a Push-up for her son, telling her to "roll the Push-up between her hands to soften it" for her child.

The best seller at the ice cream cart is the Toll House Cookie Ice Cream Bar, and Carbary says that on opening night, she sold out of her supply of 96 bars. The Haagen-Daz Ice Cream Bars are also a big hit with the stadium crowd. By the top of the third inning, she had already sold 45 ice cream treats.

Across from Carbary, Jolynn Brewer was very busy making fresh squeezed lemonade for the long line of people at her stand. A two-year veteran at Falcon Park, Brewer explained the process to me as she worked. She starts by filling a large plastic cup with ice, then placing a lemon cut in half in the massive juicer. She juices the lemon and adds the juiced lemon halves to the cup. In a shaker cup filled 3/4 of the way with cold water, she adds the freshly squeezed lemon juice and 1/3 cup of sugar, places the top on the shaker and mixes vigorously. She pours the water and lemon juice mixture into the plastic cup and the drink is handed to a very happy customer.

John Henry was purchasing a second lemonade for his sons, Matthew and Michael. His first lemonade went to daughter, Madelyn, who told her brothers how good it was, so dad had to make another trip to the stand. John and his wife Jennifer, like to bring their children to Falcon Park several times a season because it's a great family atmosphere and "you'd spend about as much as if you went to the movies, but you get to enjoy the fresh air here."

If you don't like to leave your seat during the ball game, concessionaires like Kevin Clark and AJ Petrosino will come to you. You'll hear them call "ice cold soda here" or "get your peanuts here," as they wander through the stadium. Clark likes working there because he "just likes being at the ball park" and Petrosino, a four-season veteran at Falcon Park, likes it "because you get to see everybody you know at work."

Blair Freeman, a stand-out softball player at AHS, heading to St. Bonaventure in the fall, has also worked at Falcon Park for four years, since Leo Pinckney suggested that it would be a good job for her.

Freeman cooks in the tent area on the third base side of the field. The tent is reserved by businesses, church groups, family reunions and others to have a private area to eat and enjoy the game. The groups get burgers, hot dogs, sausage and sometimes Auburn Poultry chicken, along with tossed salad, baked beans, macaroni salad, potato chips and beverages.

She says there is never a dull moment working at Falcon Park and she described opening night as "hot, sweaty, packed and fun." She enjoys the sausage with mustard at the park best, and when she's home, she likes to bake "anything with chocolate, particularly chocolate cheesecake."

While opening night was crazy, everyone I talked to agreed that Dollar Thursdays are the wildest. On Thursday home games, it's $1 general admission tickets, plus $1 hot dogs, $1 sodas and $1 Bud beer. "We'll sell 2,500 hot dogs on Dollar Thursdays," said Gutelius. "And we only sell the best - Hofmann hot dogs."

Hot dogs are the best sellers at the concession stand according to Gutelius, and security officer Todd Jones says that peanuts are a big seller too. He knows that "because of the large number of peanut shells we clean up off the ground at the end of the games." Soda salesman Kevin Clark reports that Sprite is the top selling soda.

The concession stand employees not only sell food, they entertain the crowd as well.

The highlight of the evening occurs when the guys line up on the first base dugout and the gals line up on the third base dugout for a rousing dance number set to the tune of the "Cotton-Eyed Joe" that really gets the crowd going.

All of the staff members love their jobs. Each of their smiling faces and friendly attitudes toward customers, and each other, enhance the family atmosphere at Falcon Park. It's a great place for high schoolers to work and a wonderful night out for the entire family to enjoy the All-American game of baseball. Take in a game this season and don't forget to stop by the concession stand for tasty food served with a joyful attitude.