Photos by Aaron S. Terry, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 4.00
Electric Supply Company Field at Truist Stadium Whitehead Ave NE Wilson, NC 27893
Year Opened: 2019
Capacity: 3,500
Electric Blue at Barton
After a 70-year hiatus, the Barton Bulldogs finally fielded a football team again starting in the spring of 2021, although without many fans in attendance – like many schools the planned 2020 season was put on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Starting in the fall of 2021, however, the Barton Bulldogs are finally able to fill their brand-new facility, Electric Supply Company Field at Truist Stadium – the venue was mostly completed in 2019, but the new press box tower was added in 2021. The facility holds 3,500 fans with grandstands along both sidelines and features a bright blue border around the playing surface.
Food & Beverage 5
When it comes to concessions Truist Stadium shines, with several different food trucks and an assortment of menu items which rivals that of much larger stadiums, although strangely the concessions are not near the main stands, but instead are located in one end zone and on the visitor’s side since that is where the venue has space for them.
Starting off the list is Item 9 Pizza, which sells its 10” cheese or pepperoni pizzas from a white food truck for $11 or $12, followed by Sunset Slush (black food truck) which offers ice cream, gelato, or Italian ice starting at $4. You can also get wings or burgers from the Chiefs on the River food truck (also white), starting at $5 or $6 for the main dish only, or $12 for a combo meal with fries and a drink – I didn’t try the wings but heard they were to die for. There is also a fixed concessions stand that sells typical items such as popcorn, peanuts, candy, and chips, and all the stands sell bottled water, bottled soda, or energy drinks if you need a beverage.
My personal favorite at Truist Stadium, however, is Krueger’s Candies (blue food truck), which sells Brightleaf hot dogs with chili for only $3, and Krueger’s even makes their hot dog buns! The buns have a very slightly sweet flavor, and the hot dogs are the rare red type, which incidentally is very popular in North Carolina (you can buy them at some of the MiLB stadiums in NC, for example at Carolina Mudcats games). Besides hot dogs, Krueger’s also sells nachos and caramels, but the hot dogs are the best – you can’t beat the $3 price anywhere for a chili dog, and they taste amazing to boot.
Atmosphere 4
Truist Stadium is a great venue, and it still retains that new, modern look and feel – think new car smell. The bright blue border around the field pops, and the team has all the typical bells and whistles, such as the cheerleaders running back and forth waving flags after each score, and a bulldog mascot in costume. The only downside I would mention is that the scoreboard doesn’t have any video capability for replays.
Neighborhood 5
Truist Stadium is located in Wilson, NC, which is not that big of a town, but there are plenty of restaurants and hotels nearby if you plan to be in town for the day or the weekend. The variety of restaurants near the venue is pretty impressive, ranging from Kountry Kitchen and Western Sizzlin to barbecue, Mexican, and fast food, to Daniel’s Casual Fine Dining and Varee Asian Café & Bakery. The hotels tend to be a little further from the stadium, closer to I-795, but you can choose from a variety of options ranging from America’s Best Value Inn on the cheaper side to Holiday Inn and Hampton Inn on the more expensive side.
Where Wilson shines, however, is in terms of the attractions it offers – probably the most interesting and unique is Whirligig Park & Museum, featuring wind-powered mechanical sculptures which look kind of like Rube Goldberg machines (think the Mousetrap game you may have played as a kid, where you put together different pieces to make a complicated machine to trap the mouse). Whirligig Park is worth a look, and if you are a sports fan Wilson also offers the NC baseball museum, in addition to numerous historical sites, parks, and botanical gardens.
Fans 2
The crowd at Truist Stadium is very small, unfortunately, and it may take some time for Barton to build up its fan base again after such a long football hiatus. This is a shame since the venue is so nice – you definitely would not expect to see such a small crowd here.
Access 4
Truist Stadium and Barton College are very easy to get to; not far from I-95 and I-795, inside the loop made up of Highway 42 and Highway 301. If you don’t have a special pass (which will let you park right next to the field), you can park for free 2-3 blocks from the stadium in a small parking lot on Woodard Street. There is not very good signage, however, about where to park, so just ask for directions at one of the VIP lots you pass, and the parking attendants there will be happy to point you in the right direction.
Once you get to the stadium there are plenty of entrances behind the north end zone – all tickets are technically mobile tickets, but if you didn’t buy one beforehand or don’t have a Smartphone with you, you can still buy a ticket (basically a QR code printed out on plain paper, not a regular ticket) at the door. The concourse is easy to move around, and there are more than enough restrooms to accommodate the crowd. One thing to mention is that the bathrooms are inside large trailers, but they are modern and better than you might expect – note that the differently-abled bathrooms offer a lot more room inside and have elongated seats, so those might be a better option for some fans.
Return on Investment 5
General admission tickets to football games at Truist Stadium are $17 including fees, which is very reasonable for this level of football; couple that with free parking, an outstanding and brand-new facility, and cheap concessions depending on which items you choose, and Barton Bulldogs football offers a great return on investment for your sports viewing dollar.
Extras 3
Truist Stadium doesn’t have a lot of extras to offer during a Bulldogs football game, but they have the basics covered – the mascot, cheerleaders, great décor, fun music, and fabulous concessions all combine to make your visit to Wilson a great one. I recommend taking a journey to Barton College for a football game; you won’t regret it.