To me summertime means picnics, hiking and baseball, mostly just being outside. While I’m not good at sports in general, I do enjoy watching sports whether it’s my friends playing softball or heading out to watch the Grand Junction Rockies.

I had a treat this past week when I went to Denver for some training with my company and got to attend a Colorado Rockies game. It was my first Major League Baseball game ever! I had heard that they had gluten-free options so I checked out their website. After a little searching I found what I was looking for: They did have gluten-free items and they even had their locations — Section 142. I was a happy camper and knew that depending where we sat, I was going to be in heaven!

Well, I was fortunate as our seats were close by so my friend and I headed directly to the stand that was marked well with big letters: “GLUTEN-FREE.” I appreciated them marking the stand so clearly. Their menu had several options including hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, potato chips, Bard’s Beer and Angry Orchards Cider. This was so much more than I was expecting and I was pretty giddy. My first go around I had an adult beverage and headed to my seat.

While sitting there, I decided that I wanted the whole ballgame experience and headed back, getting a hot dog and another adult beverage. From what I’ve heard, Udi’s is the official provider of the buns for the gluten-free stands and has even hosted a night in past years to promote the gluten-free lifestyle.

It was a great experience, getting to have all the things that you want to have at a ballgame. If you are going to a Colorado Rockies game, don’t forget to check out the gluten-free stand!

If you are wondering about the Grand Junction Rockies, I did ask last year if they had any gluten-free options and I was told “no.” I did try to get in touch with them before writing this article but didn’t have any luck getting a hold of anyone. I would love to see the same options, or at least a couple of these options, at the local games since there is a large community of gluten-free folks who would spend the money to get the full ballgame experience. I know a ballpark hot dog would hit the spot!

Angela Wetzel has celiac disease and is president of Gluten Free Grand Valley, a support group for those with celiac disease and wheat allergies. Contact her at glutenfreegrandvalley@gmail.com or visit Gluten Free Grand Valley on Facebook.