"When one walks through the gate of Don Roux field and buys a ticket the blue-and-white Snack Shack sits to the left just off the track. Laminated white paper hangs between its two windows listing available items. At big games, smart spectators load up early, knowing the line at halftime will be long...."
While researching and writing ONE GOAL, I spent a lot of time at Don Roux field. I was in the stands talking to parents and fans, on the sideline with the team during games and practices, and on the field at halftime and at the end of a game, listening and watching and learning about how the team moved, communicated, played, and won. Descriptions of Don Roux are peppered throughout ONE GOAL's pages: the orb weaver spiders that create gossamer masterpieces on the fences, the aromas of the Snack Shack, the sunsets over the opposing team's bleachers during October games, the chants of the cheerleaders, and the cheers of the fans.
And now, the Lewiston Blue Devils are getting a new home. A massive construction project altering just about everything except Lewiston High School itself finally has an end in sight. The original Don Roux field, home of Blue Devils football, lacrosse, and -- of course -- soccer, is now a parking lot for the new elementary school, which sits on what used to be the soccer practice field. The high school's baseball field will now be the elementary school's playground and open space. As for the new Don Roux field, pictured above, it sits where football used to practice, out the gym door and around the bend to the right. Grass has been replaced by state of the art turf. It won't be encircled by a track, which will be located on Upper Franklin field, allowing fans to get all the closer to the action. Marcotte Park, home of a lot of scenes in ONE GOAL, will now host LHS baseball and field hockey, also featuring shiny new turf, and Drouin field now belongs to the softball team.
While the state of Maine is footing a lot of the bill for this project, money still needs to be raised. These new digs are designed not just to benefit the teams of Lewiston High School, but the entire community, with hopes of hosting state championship games and tournaments in the near future. The Franklin Pasture Sports Complex Fundraising Campaign offers opportunities at every level for folks to contribute.
So many readers of ONE GOAL have asked me about ways to support Lewiston. A donation to Franklin Pasture project is yet another way to help Lewiston successfully continue to find new paths forward.
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