Wrigley Field's Amazing Vendors

by Lloyd Rutzky, Joel Levin

Witness a never-before-seen perspective of the personnel who have become legends in their own in the stands of The Friendly Confines.
In 1970, a vendor at Wrigley Field had an amazing idea to turn his personal camera away from the baseball diamond and toward his fellow ballpark hawkers as they went about their daily jobs of selling souvenirs, programs, hot dogs, ice cream, and soft drinks. Along the way, he also captured images of other employees - ushers, security staff, commissary workers, and union officials. The result, Wrigley Field's Amazing Vendors, offers an inside look of Major League Baseball that Arcadia Publishing is proud to include in its Images of Modern America series. The subjects themselves are amazing: a blind Frosty Malt vendor; a singing peanut vendor; a Coca-Cola vendor who went on to become an economic adviser to the president of the United States. Many of the vendors photographed in the 1970s are still in the aisles of Wrigley Field today. Others left for new career opportunities, while a few became legends in vending history.

96 pages, Paperback

Published July 9, 2018

Reviews

[John Mullarkey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A unique book about a traditional ballpark experience - hot dogs, soda, beer, and Cracker Jacks -and the people who sell them at one of MLB's iconic ballparks. Wrigley Field, has been the home to professional baseball since 1914 and has seen it's share of baseball history; the one thing that it has not seen is many championship teams. This book is not about the players on the field - as a matter of fact, there are no Cubs players interviewed, discussed, or photographed. What the reader does get is a "history" of the vendors who - from all backgrounds, toiled in all weather to sell refreshments and souvenirs to Cubs fans - mainly in the mid-late 70's. Money was indeed made - it helped get some of the vendors through college, but what is very interesting is how there was a true love for the job that made many of the vendors "lifers" - including one of the authors. I found this book fun - who knew? a book about vending could be so interesting; it is part yearbook and a labor of dedication and love of both the Cubs and being at the ballpark among fans in the "Friendly Confines". I also found out about the process of ballpark vending and making commissions; along with some of the physical challenges being a vendor creates -weather, broken glass; hot/cold vending crates, etc.. The author also describes how he decided - in the mid-70's to document the colorful gang of individuals who make vending at Wrigley, both a passion and a job.

[Janicec · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cool book, especially for die-hard Chicago Cubs fans who have been following the team for many years. It was interesting to look at the photos, read about the vendors, and see how Wrigley Field looked before the team got popular and the ballpark was renovated.

[Michelle C · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointed. I was expecting photos from across the years, but almost all the photos are from a 4 year period in the 70’s