Page A6
May 2, 2001
¿Etje ÿkirManh (líbsm ier
Seats Fill For PGE Park Season Opener
Monday about 20.000 fans took to
the seats to welcome the return of
Triple A baseball and the Portland
Beavers. It was the first event for a
newly renovated stadium.
“It’s the great meeting place in Port
land,” says Bob Higgins, a retired gov
ernment auditor w ho's now the self-
styled curator o f the stadium.
In 1957, Elvis Presley played a con
cert on the infield, nding into the sta
dium on a white convertible Cadillac
and wearing his famous gold lame’
suit, to the shrieks o f teen-age girls
Sports have always had the run of
the place, however. Jack Dempsey
fought an exhibition at Multnomah
Stadium, and Pele’ played his last pro
fessional soccer game there. Now, new
memories are about to be made with the
return o f the Portland Beavers. The
Triple-A farm team o f the San Diego
Padres will christen the newly reno
vated PGE Park on Monday night.
To make way for the Beavers, the
stadium has undergone a $38.5 million
renovation. Modem amenities have
been added, like luxury suites, and a
new artificial surface called NexTurf-
the same material used at Veterans
Stadium in Philadelphia - has replaced
Civic’s worn-out rug.
But the best additions were made
with the past m mind: A hand-operated
scoreboard, with a huge clock and red
“PGE Park’ ’ letters on top, looms in left
field. Ivy has been planted on the gray
wall out in center, and the rows of
bleacher - made from 1920s Douglas fir
- have been painted forest green.
Concourses, restrooms and con
cession areas have been completely
rebuilt, and such throwback fixtures as
newsstands, an organ and shoeshine
vendors will heighten the game-day
experience for fans. “Nostalgia is in,"
says Marshall Glickman, chiefexecu
tive officer o f Portland Family Enter
tainment, which owns the Beavers and
struck a deal with the city to run the
stadium if the city paid for most o f the
overhaul. The team is trying to capital
ize on the popularity the “Lucky Bea
A $38 million renovation transforms Portland's downtown stadium into a magnificent ballpark with a new state-of-the-art turf luxury seats and amedities such as the Widmer Café. The
vers” enjoyed before the N BA ’s Trail
stadium's revamped concourse adds many new concessions and restrooms. Spec factors also get a free look from the sidewalk where barriers once hindered the view along the left field
Blazers arrived in 1970.
(P hotos by D avid G iezyng /T he P ortland O bserver )
bleachers.
Please join in a very
important public meeting
1-5 lmProvg>r
Open House
May 10, 2001
4:00 - 6:30 p.m.
Drop in anytime!
Express B u s
S e rv ic e
Community Forum & Task Force Meeting
6:30 - 9:00 p.m.
Participate in the evening’s agenda!
DoubleTree Hotel • Portland Lloyd Center
1000 NE Multnomah, Portland, OR
Just think: Your son
is b rig h t, h e a lth y
a n d h e a d e d fo r
college one day You
love the direction your
career has taken. You're doing a lot o f the things you planned
We need your help to narrow
the lis t o f improvement options
and even a few you didn't. Living life to the fullest is easy when
Fourth""“ ’.
Please come
and share y o u r thoughts, opinions and observations.
Learn more about
the Partnership and help us plan
for our transportation future.
Children are welcome.
For translation services or more information, please call
503-731-8565 or 360-905-2054
TDD: 800-735-2900
www:i-5partnership.com
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