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Duncan Park Stadium /
Spartanburg Stingers
It is hard not to visit Spartanburg's Duncan Park Stadium and not be a little miffed at the ballpark's trustees in the city government. They've let a wooden gem literally rot away, as years of official neglect have finally caught up with a grand old ballpark, slated to be closed at the end of the season. First opened in 1928, Duncan Park Stadium hosted the likes of Lou Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio in exhibition games and Ryne Sandburg as a minor-league player, as well as countless American Legion and textile-league teams over the decades. In the recent past Duncan Park Stadium has served as the home of the Spartanburg Stingers (summer collegiate; Coastal Plain League). It achieves the historical accuracy and ambiance retro-ballpark designers can only dream of achieving. Duncan Park Stadium is typical of ballparks of its era. The focal point is a large wooden grandstand with a roof supported with steel trusses, topped by a small press box. We're guessing the box-seat dividers were original to the ballpark, and we're also guessing many of the old-fashioned green wooden seats were original to the ballpark as well. (Some also came from Shibe Park when it closed.) Down each line are bleachers, mostly in pretty bad shape. (We must note, however, that the curvature of the camera lens makes the grandstand look warped when it's not. Keep that in mind.) The ballpark is located on the edge of a bucolic city park -- Duncan Park, as you might guess -- and tucked onto the side of a hill. Surrounded by trees, the ballpark setup provides lot of shade on a typical summer night for both players and fans. Outfielders may not be too thrilled with the ballpark, however: the outfield fence is not padded. (Then again, the infield is clearly uneven, so no position player is safe.) It's also crumbing in left field -- typical of how Duncan Park Stadium is maintained.
Walk through Duncan Park Stadium and you can't be a little depressed at its condition. Squishy plywood doesn't exactly inspire confidence underfoot, and there's at least three coats of paint everywhere -- with the topmost layer peeling. As we said, the ballpark will be closed indefinitely while the Friends of Duncan Park attempts to raise funds to renovate the ballpark. We wish them well: it's a classic ballpark, and not many ballparks from the late 1920s are still in use. There's probably little chance for minor-league baseball to return to Spartanburg, but the summer collegiate Coastal Plain League is a perfect match for the historic facility.
Concessions The RJ Rockers Party Deck (shown below) down the left-field line serves various Rockers beers on tap ($3.50) as well as food for groups of all sizes. RJ Rockers is a Spartanburg microbrewery; its beers are available throughout the area. The pale ale is a brisk seller among the four on tap.
For the Kids In general, kids find Duncan Park Stadium a great place to wander around during games. There are the ruins of concrete bleachers down the first-base line, and this seemed to be a popular gathering spot for kids.
Where to Stay Before/After the
Game We hit two coffee shops after the Stingers game and enjoyed live music. Cross Roads Coffee Shop (99 S. Church St.) is located on the west side of downtown and well worth a visit. |
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