Daniel Helm stands in the gloomy basement of Appalachian Power Park showing off the park’s seemingly endless supply of gags.

This is Power Park’s toy box.

Cluttering the floor and crammed onto the shelves is a flea market assortment of backyard games, college costume party garb, flags, bowler hats and toilet seats. Some of it’s new. Most of it isn’t. All of it gets used.

“If there is one thing I’ve learned, you never throw anything away,” said Helm, director of promotions for the West Virginia Power.

All the gear and paraphernalia is for the filler, the stuff that goes on between innings, between plays, maybe even between pitches at a Power game. Baseball, marketing director Kristin Call explained, isn’t a particularly quick game.

“It’s very slow. It turns out in a three-hour game, there’s actually only about nine minutes of playtime when the ball is actually in motion. That’s a lot of time that could be filled.”

People love the game, but they want to be entertained whether the home team is winning or not. Helm and Call say that this season, Appalachian Power Park has amped up the action and the entertainment. There’s a new season of theme nights, special guests, games, giveaways and fireworks. The park has added live music before home games on Fridays.

“I guess we’ll be competing with ‘Live on the Levee’ some,” Helm said. “It’s really kind of a different crowd, I think. The music is a lot different. It’s more cover bands with music you can sing along with.”

Between the music, the themes, the shenanigans and fireworks, it’s a wonder they’re able to fit in nine or more innings of play.

“It’s not just a game anymore,” Helm said. “We say, ‘Welcome to the show.’”

On Saturday, the park is hosting the Toss for the Cause “cornhole” tournament to benefit the West Virginia Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic. Myron Noodleman, the current “Clown Prince of Baseball,” will be in town as part of Saturday’s “Nerd Night.”

“We’ve updated our technology on the big board,” Helm said. “We’ve got instant replay for the game. We’re still sort of learning how to use that, but we’re getting there.”

Capitalizing on the popularity of the “Rock Band” video game, after the game is over Saturday, Power fans can take their turn feeding their inner rock star playing the game on a 28-foot-by-12-foot viewing screen.

“We’re just investing more energy into what we do beyond the game,” Call added.

In previous seasons, the park has held television-themed nights, salutes to indoor plumbing and costume nights. Power Park has added new nights and dropped others.

“We did Mardi Gras night like every week last year,” Helm said. “People liked it in the beginning and the first couple of nights, but everyone got tired of it. So, we’re not doing the same theme over and over.”

Helm already has a favorite. Tribute to the tuxedo T-shirt night is July 1.

“That was totally Dan’s idea,” Call said.

Call and Helm say the trick to making theme nights successful is participation. That has to start with the staff.

“You have to be willing to invest in it first,” she said.

“The county fair night we did last weekend was probably one of our best theme nights,” Helm said. “I was out on the field in overalls and a mullet wig. We had two cows and a contest between management and the players to see who could milk their cow the fastest.”

“We won, by the way,” Call said.

For more information about upcoming theme nights and special events at Appalachian Power Park, visit www.wvpower.com.

To contact staff writer Bill Lynch, use e-mail or call 348-5195.