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Centene Stadium / Great
Falls White Sox
Though the work is not yet completed, the renovation of Centene Stadium in Great Falls is a good blueprint for anyone who wants to update an older ballpark without really interfering with the very nature of the ballpark. Built in 1940, Centene Stadium (formerly known as Legion Park) has served as the home of the Great Falls franchise in the Pioneer League since its opening: the Great Falls Electrics (1956-1963), Great Falls Giants (1969-1983), Great Falls Dodgers (1984-2002), and now the Great Falls White Sox. Since its unveiling the ballpark has sported a basic ballpark design, with a grandstand featuring both theater-style seats and bleachers, with additional bleachers located down each line. It has always been a comfortable, but not very flashy place to view a rookie-league game.
And, of course, since 1956 facilities improved in the Pioneer League, leading Great Falls residents to look to their own ballpark renovation. Luckily for us, Great Falls residents are smarter than Great Falls politicians, some of whom prepared a plan for a new ballpark before local taxpayers stood up and said no to that plan. (The facility is owned by the city but leased to the ballpark; the $5.2 million renovation is funded by private donations.) It's still a work in progress -- work will continue into the fall and next spring before the project is complete. The first phase, which is done now, involves the addition of new box seats, bleachers, expanded restroom facilities, new clubhouse facilities (complete with a weight room and training rooms) and an concession area down the third-base line. The new building, which will eventually be the new entrance to the park (it was close to completion during my visit), also features a gift shop.
Do the renovations work? Yes. The old Legion Park was a tad claustrophobic: you were expected to stay in your seat for the entire game, taking a break only to head to the small concession stand in the grandstand. That was all well and good in 1956, but that attitude just doesn't fly in 2003: fans expect to mingle throughout the park these days -- especially in Great Falls, where it seems that there's two degrees of separation between everyone attending a White Sox game. Adding seats and open spaces within the confines of an existing park is quite the feat. More importantly, the renovation was approached in a surprisingly sensitive fashion: the most distinctive part of the ball -- the covered grandstand and the press box -- were left intact, maintaining the 1956 feel also adding spacious restrooms and more. And sometimes in life all a ballpark needs is a more spacious restroom to make it complete.
Concessions are in a state of flux because of the ballpark construction; not all the new concession stands were operational during our visit.
There are no hotels within walking distance of the ballpark, so you'll need a car to get around Great Falls. There are a few hotels in downtown Great Falls, but most of the better hotels in town are located on the south side, near Hwy. 89 and the airport. I can recommend the Hampton Inn (2301 14th St. SW.) or the Holiday Inn (400 10th Av. S.) as being solid, affordable properties. Both of these properties are across town from the ballpark, but let's be real: Great Falls is not a metropolis, so "across town" means a drive of 2.5 miles.
At the present time there is no area at the ballpark devoted to a play area.
There are three mandatory stops in Great Falls -- two during the day and one at night. They are wildly divergent and show very different sides of the city. The first daytime stop is the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center (4201 Giant Springs Road), located just up Hwy. 87 from the ballpark on the shores of the Missouri River. There, you'll be able to retrace the steps of the 1804-1806 Lewis and Clark Expedition as they sought a route to the Pacific Ocean. Along the way they interacted with several American Indians tribes, navigated the great falls of the Missouri River, and mapped out the great expanse of the American West.
The second daytime stop is the C.M. Russell Museum, dedicated to the Western art created by Charlie Russell (1864-1926), the longtime Great Falls resident. Now, before you chuckle over the notion of Western art -- I remember when I did so in the past -- you should know that this is a great museum and Charlie Russell was a true unique American. Russell's art, which grew out of his authentic experiences as a cowboy in the Wild West, depict all facets of his life and times. When Russell arrived in Montana as a raw 16-year-old, the West was still a raw, isolated territory suitable only for cowboys and ranchers, but by the time of his death Great Falls was a real city and the west was wild no more. His art -- which includes portraits of cowboys, American Indians, and the occasional oddball who made his way westward -- was highly regarded by the likes of Pablo Picasso, who once request a meeting with an amused Russell. The C.M. Russell Museum is the largest collection of Russell's work and includes watercolors, sculptures, letters and a slew of paintings -- including many he gave to owners of his favorite watering holes. At night, drop by for a cocktail at the legendary Sip 'N Dip Lounge, located in the O'Haire Motor Inn (17 7th St. S.). There is probably nothing in the world quite like the Sip 'N Dip Lounge. First, it's decorated in a Polynesian tiki style (in and of itself pretty surreal for Great Falls), but adding to the weirdness is the glass wall behind the bar, providing a view of the hotel's indoor swimming pool. Bar patrons have a great view of whoever is in the pool, including assorted mermaids and mermen (who are hired by the bar during busy hours); in the past, even Daryl Hannah (she of Splash fame) has shown up there in a mermaid suit. On most nights you can find Piano Pat Sponheim tickling the ivories and singing standards like "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" and "Fly Me To the Moon." One note: be warned that Great Falls is a pretty abysmal restaurant town. Because of the relative ease in obtaining a casino restaurant, it seems like many dining establishments are restaurant/bar/casino combos. We ended up relying on an old standby, the Mackenzie River Pizza Company (1220 9th St. S.; also found in Helena, Billings and Missoula); locals also recommended Bert and Ernie's (300 1st Ave S., downtown Great Falls), featuring microbrews and pub grub.
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