Copyright CBS News
The sound of cheers, bands playing and cleats hitting the turf has been the staple of the Lodi Grape Bowl for over 80 years. But now, the stadium that's given love to the community for generations needs some love of its own. "I look at this field and I can tell you it has a future and I can tell you that I think it has a lot of amazing things to come," Lodi Mayor Cameron Bregman said. A future with a rich past. According to the Historical Guild 209, the stadium was completed in 1940 as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project, part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal. Since then, it has gone through a few small renovations, but not enough to make it into what the city and community have dreamed of. Now, that could change. "One thing that we tried doing was getting together a group of some of the greatest movers and shakers of our community, get the right people in their fields and get them a part of this committee to be able to revitalize the center and make it something that's long-lasting," Bregman explained. The last attempt to renovate the stadium was never completed, but the committee wants to make sure their vision is one that will last. "We don't want to start something and then five years down the road, it gets changed and all of this effort is wasted," Love Lodi Co-Chair Timothy Stewart said. "I'm really big on making sure that all the key players are at the table and we're looking down this five to 10 year vision to make sure that we're all working together and that we don't end up where we did last time." The committee is still in the very early stages of planning. As of now, the first step is cleaning up the stadium, getting the community involved and creating a venue that lasts for generations. "This is about youth sports. It's about community engagement," Bregman continued. "It's about getting the community together to, again, put some sweat equity into what is a great project." "For us, it's really about how can we love the Grape Bowl?" Stewart explained. "It really is a part of Lodi, a huge part of Lodi, and that's our mission, to love Lodi." Lodi High School still plays on this field, so their first goal would be to make it sing as a football field primarily. They are considering and hoping in the future to make the stadium a concert venue or incorporate other events like the Grape Festival at the Grape Bowl.
