Charles Page High School Memorial Stadium: A stadium that almost wasn’t
Charles Page High School (CPHS) in Sand Springs Oklahoma is home of the “Sandites” and proud of it. This is a school where the sense of dignity and good old fashioned Americana runs deep. When the plans for their sports Memorial Stadium started showing budget cut backs, everyone came forward to help out.
The original stadium for the school was built in 1949 and it was not only showing it’s age, it was falling apart. School officials knew that a newer stadium was needed and they put a well-planned budget together. The demolition of the old and loved stadium was crowned with a last game and a ‘farewell rally’ with part of the expenses being allocated for the removal of the old stadium. Unfortunately, the economic situation of the country took a turn and didn’t play along with the budget. Additional funds were needed for a number of unexpected expenses and the project began to pull at the seams with little money left over for the desperately needed press box, scoreboard and lights.
Desperate times call for making a move fast, and Lloyd Snow, school superintendant decided to begin talking to local businesses for additional financial support for the stadium. They also made the decision to sell off some of the old bleachers as collectible souvenirs. Little by little, additional funds were added so that the stadium showed a slow progression of development. There were some that questioned whether or not they were going to actually have a functioning stadium in time for the year’s football game, but, with everyone pitching in to help, it was finally somewhat ready. The last and most important part of the stadium was the addition of the electronic scoreboard. This was a state-of-the-art technology with an audio system that was built-in.
Plans were put together for a celebration and ribbon cutting ceremony. School members from all areas helped in the ceremony, which included skydivers, fireworks and a launch of a huge amount of balloons. The extravaganza was not only to celebrate the new stadium but to show what could be done when a number of strong minded people put their heads together for a cause.
The community, business members, teams, students and faculty attended the ribbon cutting and ceremony, all with a sense of pride for an almost impossible accomplishment for their school. Local advertisers had their ads displayed as part of the support of the school and the teams and the Cheerleading and Dance Teams along with the marching band were all present.
The Charles Page Memorial Stadium proved that even in the worst of circumstances, there is always a way to make things work. The strength of this community in Oklahoma is apparent every time there is a game played and they hear the national anthem. The stadium will stand as a tribute to the hard work and conscientious efforts of everyone in their town. Each time the fans look up to the electronic scoreboard to see a point scored, they can thank themselves and smile.
