Photos by Paul Baker, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 2.29
East Field 175 Dix Ave Glens Falls, NY 12801
Year Opened: 1980 Capacity: 6,000
East Field
East Field is a multi-purpose facility which opened in 1980. It has been home to several teams over its 40 years, including the affiliated Glens Falls White Sox, Tigers and Red Birds, the independent Adirondack Lumberjacks and the summer collegiate Glens Falls Golden Eagles. Since 2015, the Glens Falls Dragons of the Perfect Game Collegiate League have called East Field home.
For the 2020 season the Independent Collegiate Baseball League was formed to fill the void left behind when the Perfect Game League cancelled its season due to the coronavirus. Four teams will play this year based out of Shuttleworth Park in Amsterdam and East Field in Glens Falls.
Food & Beverage 2
There is a concession stand tucked in behind the bleachers down the right field line. According to the handwritten menu tacked to the wall, a decent selection of food is served here, including many ballpark favorites. Hot dogs, burgers, chicken fingers, pizza slices and sausage and pepper sandwiches are listed. Snacks, including chips, popcorn and ice cream treats are available.
With many of the items crossed off the menu, it would appear that the menu may vary from night to night depending on the crowd or other factors.
For the 2020 season, the Independents offer pizza slices from a nearby Little Caesar’s and bottled beverages for some games.
Atmosphere 1
Baseball purists enjoy the atmosphere at many summer collegiate ballparks because the game day presentation is much simpler and more laid back than the all-out assault on the senses found at most professional ballparks today. The atmosphere at East Field fits this description, as it is very laid-back, almost to the point of being bare bones.
There is little extraneous noise to distract fans from enjoying the action down on the field. What little noise that does not come from the buzz of the crowd comes in the form of music played between innings on East Field’s excellent sound system. PA announcements are limited to lineup changes and upcoming batters. Since there is no operational scoreboard at East Field, increased game information would be welcome.
Neighborhood 3
East Field is located in a mixed-use neighborhood about a mile and a half from downtown Glens Falls, a small city of 14,000 residents about an hour north of Albany. Fans visiting Glens Falls will definitely want to head downtown to find a bite to eat before or after a game at East Field. Aside from a small ice cream shop across the street from the ballpark, there is nothing in the immediate vicinity to attract fans.
Now, downtown Glens Falls is another matter entirely. For a city of this size, there are an amazing number of quality choices for visiting fans looking for a place to eat. Craft beer fans should head to Davidson Brothers Brewpub to sample their selection of house brews and American fare, or Cooper’s Cave Ale Company, where you can pair your craft beer selection with homemade ice cream. While walking around the downtown area be sure to check out Downtown City Tavern, known for their pizzas, burgers and ice cream menu, which features a great selection of adult milk shakes.
Lodging options nearby include the historic Queensbury Hotel. Cool Insuring Arena, home of the ECHL’s Adirondack Thunder, is located right downtown as well. Again, for a small city, there are many things to do here. The Hyde Art Museum, Chapman Historical Museum, the World Awareness Children’s Museum and Saunders Gallery of Fine Art highlight the many offerings. During the summer months the nearby Adirondack Mountains offer countless options for visiting fans. The Adirondacks Welcome Center is located in Glens Falls. Also located a short drive from Glens Falls is the Saratoga Race Course and Saratoga National Historic Park. Lake George, a popular summer vacation destination, is located nearby.
Fans 3
The Dragons average around 1,000 fans per night at East Field. This places the team in the upper third of the Perfect Game League attendance rankings. As you would expect, the crowd is a mix of locals, families looking for an affordable night out and die-hard fans who follow the team closely. A great many of the fans in attendance have a personal connection with the team.
For the 2020 season New York State has limited the size of outdoor gatherings to 50 persons. Each player is allowed to have two family members in attendance, limiting the number of unaffiliated fans who are allowed to attend. During Stadium Journey’s visit to East Field, the crowd numbered around 50 fans.
Access 2
East Field is located on the eastern edge of the city of Glens Falls. Fans coming to the area will take exit 18 off of Interstate 87 and drive a ways through the city to get to the ballpark, which is part of a larger complex which includes softball fields, a pool, a playground and an outdoor skating pond.
There is plenty of parking in a lot adjacent to the ballpark. Seating consists of several sets of bleachers which encircle the field. These bleachers are in need of some serious TLC, as they are splintering and buckling in spots. Plans are in the works to replace some of these bleachers with 1,500 seats taken from the former Riverfront Stadium in Newark, NJ, but there is currently no schedule as to when this will happen. For now, choose your seats wisely and move carefully around the seating area. There are some individual bucket seats behind home plate. These seats are among the most coveted in the ballpark. Nets and light poles obstruct views from most seating areas in the park.
There is a concession stand and building containing rest rooms behind the bleachers on the right field line. These buildings are closed for the 2020 season. Additional rest rooms are located in the press box building behind home plate. These rest rooms are more than adequate for the crowds at an Independents game but are in need of some serious maintenance.
The facilities at East Field are definitely showing their age and some attention is certainly needed to many areas of the ballpark in order to improve overall fan comfort and field conditions. A microcosm of these issues can be found when looking for the scoreboard, located in left-center field. It’s no longer there. Taken down in 2019, it has yet to be replaced.
Return on Investment 4
Tickets to Dragons games are sold as general admission for five dollars. Tickets for children aged 12 and under are discounted to three dollars. With the large capacity of East Field, there are plenty of choices as to where to sit. Parking is free in the lot adjacent to the ballpark. Concessions are reasonably priced, making a night at East Field a most affordable entertainment option for local baseball fans.
Extras 1
There’s not much that can be considered extra at East Field (there’s not even a working scoreboard here). There is a small mural located by the entrance to the ballpark which features the logos of all the teams to call East Field home.
Final Thoughts
East Field is typical of minor league ballparks built in the 1980s. A bare bones facility without a lot of amenities or charm, this collection of bleachers is what passed as state of the art at that time. It’s hard to believe that this facility hosted AA baseball back in the day. East Field is in dire need of some TLC, which is apparently on the way. Warts and all, it’s great to have a place to catch some organized baseball in the summer of 2020.