Taking Over the Ballfield

If you haven't yet made it out to the Tulsa Drillers new home at ONEOK Field, this weekend might be your best opportunity to do so and scope the new facilities. The Drillers are out of town, but they've left the doors unlocked and their friends are throwing a party in their absence.

Sponsored by U.S. Cellular, gates open for the party to begin at 5pm Saturday, June 26. This isn't just a tour of the stadium, though, it's a chance to check out the field and enjoy at least part of what our local ball team has gotten to partake of so far this season. There will be games held on the field, including a radar gun/speed-pitch machine, inflatable batting cages and more. In addition, what's a ballpark without some competition? U.S. Cellular hosts a Speed Text Challenge, where competitors from all over the nation have the opportunity to win $10,000 and the title of fastest texter.

As would be expected, this is a family-oriented event with the sponsor and ONEOK Field looking to draw out all ages, so there will also be professional face painting and a U.S. Cellular baseball mural up for everyone to get involved in and be a part of. Of course, it's not a party without food and drinks, and your host and sponsor will be providing both for free -- while supplies last.

The evening wraps up with a free concert for the pop music masses, with music scheduled to start at 7:30pm. Three rising pop stars are being brought in for the show to split the bill, and each of them have a decidedly dance pop bent with R&B or hip-hop influences.

If you listen to KHITS or The Beat, you've probably already heard Kevin Rudolf and his single "I Made It (Cash Money Heroes)" with featured appearances by Lil' Wayne, Birdman and Jay Sean. He won't have the high-profile rappers in tow when he arrives this weekend, but he'll still bust out his hit single and a handful of songs from the new EP that was released last week.

Also on the bill are R&B/pop singer Shontelle, who will be promoting her current single "Impossible." I'm not sure how she's going to work in "Licky (Under the Covers)" at a family-oriented event, but I'm sure she'll find a way.

Finally, the lineup is completed by Karl Wolf, who taps a modern/retro vibe by featuring the time machine from Back to the Future in the video for "'80s Baby" and had his first hit with a reworking of Toto's "Africa."

Admission is free for U.S. Cellular customers and their family or guests by showing their phone at the gate. If you're not a U.S. Cellular customer and still want to check it out, however, you can listen to KHITS (106.9 FM) this week between 3 and 6pm for details on where to pick up tickets or check out uscellular.com/park for more details.

A limited number of tickets to the concert will be made available to the public. Visit the U.S. Cellular store at 6701 E. 41st St. to see if you can score a pair.