By Paul Post
Area businesses have stepped up to the plate to help the Glens Falls Dragons get off to a good start at East Field, where several major improvements have been made for the 2024 season.
More than 450 comfortable stadium seats from a minor league ballpark in Newark, N.J. are in place behind home plate, first-base bleachers have new wooden seating, and electrical and water lines have been installed for the right-field concession stand and rest room area.
“We’re just trying to get the place fixed up to keep baseball here in Glens Falls,” team owner Ben Bernard said. “We want to keep this an inexpensive family attraction for the area.”
The Dragons are led by first-year coach Ryan Deo, a College of St. Rose player-coach, and open at home on Friday, May 31 at 7 p.m. against the Amsterdam Mohawks. St. Mary’s High School alum Pete Brown, a former minor league hurler, returns as pitching coach.
Teams play in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, featuring some of the nation’s top college players.
New stadium seating is the latest in a series of East Field capital upgrades the past few years, which includes new LED lights and a new scoreboard.
“When we got the lights we knew the city was serious about having this place continue,” Bernard said. “A lot more businesses are getting involved with us now. After COVID things were so messed up. Now we’ve got to turn the corner and you can see, that’s the idea.”
Work is far from over as Bernard, supported by public and private interests, tries to revitalize the former minor league ballpark, which first opened in 1980 as home to the Double-A Eastern League’s Glens Falls White Sox. Dozens of players passed through East Field en route to the big leagues including future Hall of Famer John Smoltz, a Glens Falls (Detroit) Tigers pitching prospect, traded to the Atlanta Braves in 1987.
Bernard said it’s possible that the third-base bleachers might be razed next year to make room for a new Kids Zone play area. “The city’s also trying to decide what to do with the center field bleachers,” he said.
Previously, that area provided seating for non-baseball events such as a large annual drum and bugle corps competition that brought numerous bands and hundreds of spectators from several states to Glens Falls. Summer Jam, a popular music event, was also held at East Field and the Glens Falls Greenjackets semi-pro football team played there for many years.
Such activities have a positive economic impact. But outfield bleacher seating fell into disrepair and sections were closed off for safety reasons. So renovations are needed for East Field to host large crowds again for certain types of entertainment and sports.
Bernard credited Director of Sales and Marketing Mark Rogers, in his second year with the team, for a doing a great deal to generate support from the area business community.
As of early May, several new major sponsors such as Hannaford Brothers, Della Auto Group, Sky Zone Trampoline Park, Otto Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram of Greenwich and New York Army National Guard had signed up for large outfield fence banners. Many other firms, from Lake George to Fair Haven, Vt., are also sponsoring ads at the ballpark.
“The Lawn Care Company (Queensbury), a returning sponsor from last year, is sponsoring the Glens Falls Dragons Field of Dreams program in which local Little League players get to come to games free with their teams and go out on the field and warm up with Dragons players,” Rogers said. “Then we announce their names and they run out on the field to the Dragon player’s position for the national anthem.”
Bernard said Rozell Industries brought the stadium seats from New Jersey to Glens Falls free of charge. Curtis Lumber provided $5,000 worth of lumber for bleacher seats in return for advertising over the ballpark entrance.
Citing the tremendous success and financial turnaround of the Adirondack Thunder at Cool Insuring Arena, Bernard said he’s hopeful East Field is getting back to a positive trajectory as well, although admittedly on a much smaller scale.
The Thunder had a franchise record 16 sell-out crowds this year and averaged more than 4,000 fans per game for the first time ever.
Already looking ahead to 2025, “it would be quite a thing for next season if we could have 800 to 1,000 people here for each game,” Bernard said.
Rob & Deb’s Frozen Dreams ice cream stand, adjacent to East Field, is one of the biggest beneficiaries of activity at East Field, as fans flock there for treats. On July 3, it’s once again sponsoring a large post-game fireworks extravaganza at East Field.
The Dragons are still in need of host families to provide housing for players who come here for the summer from outside the Capital District. “Basically the guys need a place to sleep, a place to put their clothing, a place to do laundry and access to food,” said Victoria Ferguson, who coordinates the program. “In return, host families get season passes. They get involved in special events and many have formed meaningful lifelong relationships with these guys. It’s absolutely amazing.”
Bernard wants Dragons games to be affordable for entire families. Bleacher seats cost $5. Stadium seating behind home plate is $7.
He hopes to sell at least 100 season tickets this year in the new stadium seating, available for $89 each. For $125, season ticket holders can get a plaque on the seat with their personal or company name on it.
Volunteers such as a large group from Pine Knolls Alliance Church, in South Glens Falls, have also helped out with spring cleanup projects.
“They bring 50 adults and 20 kids,” Bernard said. “We give them a list of things we want done and they’ll do it. That’s a lot of people helping out. I’m no longer a one-man show. It’s really good now.”
For information on being a host family contact Ferguson at: missf123@gmail.com.
For more information about the Dragons and a team schedule go to: gfdragons.pointstreaksites.com or call (518) 746-4121.