The Walter Pop Smith Little League has coached the children of Newhallville, Dixwell, The Hill, Westville and East Rock for nearly 70 years. And for half of that time, the Frasier family have been making those games feel a little bigger-league, selling hot dogs, burgers, fries and more from a bunker-style concession stand next to the Sherman-Munson fields.
Even so, cooking quarters are tight. On the night I visited, besides the grill, the fryer, the freezer, the register and the stacked boxes of Kit Kats and sunflower seeds, the tiny room held five volunteer workers.
“We quit every year,” says Diane Frasier from her post at the entrance, though she and her husband, Marion “Kat” Frasier, inevitably find themselves pulled back in. That night, they were joined by her cousin Eric Rogers and her brother David Moye (who is also on the league’s board of directors), while the Frasiers’ granddaughter Lileona Garcia manned the register (cash and cards accepted but no payment apps). How do you get a high schooler to give her time to this cause? “It’s fun to be with family,” Garcia explained, though family can be relative; an improbable number of people passing by were greeted as “cousin.”
While we stood chatting, several neighborhood regulars with no stake in that night’s games stopped in for an order. According to the Frasiers, the most popular item is the Chili Cheese Fries ($4.50), whose star ingredient simmers in the largest of the Crockpots behind the counter: homemade chili, smokey but just slightly sweet, and made, surprisingly, with ground turkey. The fearlessly salty crinkle-cut fries, slathered in ballpark queso along with the chili, are no slouch either. “Best french fry in New Haven,” said baseball dad Brandon Fuller from the stands of a matchup between Arabic Temple and Presidents Motorcycle Club. (All teams are named after their sponsors, which range from social organizations like those to McDonald’s, Yale, Long Wharf Theatre and A-1 Toyota.)
I also ordered a Georgia Hot ($6), a hot dog whose spicy kick was definitely worth the extra dollar, though the regular all-beef dog is a timeless option. A card-table condiment bar sometimes goes more gourmet than it has to, topping out at sauerkraut and pickled onions, and the dogs, split long-ways, are seared on the grill until they have that layer of caramelization that elevates processed meat from utility to indulgence. Cheese and chili can be added for 50 cents or a dollar, respectively, and a combo with fries and a drink packs on $3.50, which is otherwise the price of fries alone.
Drink selections depend on who’s stocking the fridge but generally include several flavors of Gatorade and soda. Popsicles are available sporadically, Ring Pops more consistently. Fun-size Laffy Taffy is free for adorable younger siblings when they catch Kat’s eye. The wait on a Monday evening was about five minutes, and while I couldn’t quite see the baseball action from the line, I was entertained by a game of duck-duck-goose that broke out behind the bleachers—preteens chasing pre-schoolers and vice versa.
Spring ’25 is supposed to be the final season of food service from the bunker; the city plans to build a bigger concession stand near the parking lot. According to Pop Smith board member Steve Itkin, more space could mean an expanded menu, maybe even breakfast sandwiches for those 9 a.m. Saturday tee ball games. For now, the old stand seems to be making its last stand, with games currently scheduled through June 22. If you’re driving by, and you see children in uniform on the fields, the kitchen is probably open.
Baseball is a connoisseur’s game: Its rules are Byzantine, its outcomes sometimes dependent on subtle shifts of strategy and insight. But you don’t have to be a connoisseur to appreciate a perfect crinkle-cut fry doused in cheese and signature chili.
Written and photographed by Sarah Harris Wallman. Image 1 features, from left to right, Diane Frasier, Eric Rogers, David Moye, Marion “Kat” Frasier and Lileona Garcia.
