Detail from Andy Nelson’s 1993 mural for the Saints’ Midway Stadium. Courtesy of the St. Paul Saints

School starts in just a week’s time, and our family’s making a mad dash to do all those summertime things we’ve not yet gotten to this year. One night this week, we want to hit Vali-Hi drive-in, just east of town in Lake Elmo. (Who could resist: three movies for the price of one, Armour hotdogs, an arcade and “a Mini-Harley for small children to ride”?)

And here it is, nearly September, and we’ve yet to take the kids to a baseball game. As it happens, the St. Paul Saints are playing their final games at the 33-year-old Midway Stadium this week. The team’s new Lowertown Ballpark is slated to open in just nine months’ time. They’re going out with all due fanfare: in addition to the scheduled games this week (and a Zombie Baseball Crawl on Tuesday, if you’re into that sort of thing), on Wednesday night, the Saints will be giving away lithographs of Andy Nelson’s beloved 1993 Midway Stadium mural. The final night’s game, played against the Winnipeg Goldeyes, will feature a “Monster Food Truck Rally” and end with a big fireworks display.

Image for the eight-song collection, “Take the Last Train to Midway.” Courtesy of 89.3 The Current, IMAGEHAUS and Kelly Hagenson

And have you heard? The Saints have commemorated this big transition with a collection of eight newly recorded, baseball-themed songs by local musicians – artists like Frankie Lee, Chris Koza, Jillian Rae, BNLX and others; the Saints coproduced “Take the Last Train to Midway” with MPR’s 89.3 The Current. (Listen to it here.)

The Saints’ final three baseball games will take place at Midway Stadium on August 26, 27 and 28 at 7:05 p.m. each night. (You can buy tickets online here.) Find out more about the Saints’ new home, Lowertown Ballpark, at www.lowertownballpark.com.