Heritage Corridor Destinations Receives Bureau Innovation Award for the Big House Ball Game

Heritage Corridor Destinations has been honored with the Bureau Innovation Award from the Upper Midwest Conference and Visitors Bureau (UMCVB) for the Big House Ball Game, a one-of-a-kind event that celebrated the Route 66 centennial, historic preservation, and community pride.  

 The UMCVB Bureau Innovation Award recognizes tourism organizations that develop creative initiatives that demonstrate innovation, community impact, and success in attracting and engaging visitors. The award was voted on by leading tourism professionals and presented at the UMCVB Fall Conference held this past week in Grand Island, Nebraska. 

The Big House Ball Game was an official Route 66 Centennial Kickoff event held on April 30, 2026 at Old Joliet Prison. The Joliet Slammers and Gateway Grizzlies, two Frontier League baseball teams from Route 66 communities, faced off on a newly restored baseball field inside the 168-year-old prison.  

“We love being a part of these special moments that bring people together, surprise them a little, and give them a memory they’ll be talking about for a long time,” said Night Train Veeck, Owner of the Joliet Slammers, in an interview with WJOL.  

The event was a partnership between Heritage Corridor Destinations, the Joliet Area Historical Museum, and the Joliet Slammers, with support from community organizations and businesses. The partnership transformed the prison yard into a functioning baseball field, reviving a tradition that dates back more than 100 years when baseball was regularly played inside the Old Joliet Prison. 

"The City of Joliet and the prison itself really grew up together and they are, for better or worse at times, synonymous with one another,” said Greg Peerbolte, the CEO of the Old Joliet Prison Historic Site, in an interview with MLB.com. “The big idea is that we’re reclaiming this site, a former maximum-security penitentiary and a place with plenty of bad problematic history, into a community space.” 

The 6,000-capacity event sold out, with thousands of fans joining a waitlist for tickets. The Big House Ball Game generated national and regional media coverage from outlets including MLB.com, WGN, NBC, and CBS, putting Joliet on the map beyond Route 66 interest groups.  

“We didn’t just build a baseball field to celebrate the Route 66 centennial,” said Nikki Roberts, Marketing Manager for Heritage Corridor Destinations. “We built a new way for Joliet to see itself — and for the rest of the country to see Joliet.” 

The restored baseball field will continue to serve the community beyond the Route 66 Centennial. Local youth teams can apply to host practices and games at Old Joliet Prison, providing continued opportunities for recreation and community events at the historic site. 

About the UMCVB Fall Conference 

Founded in 1997 by tourism professionals Bill Geist, Cole Carley and Bruce McDaniel, the UMCVB Fall Conference provides professional education and networking opportunities for tourism professionals working to promote destinations throughout Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.