Ed Wheeler Field
Centralia, WA
Review by Mike
Ed Wheeler Field opened in 1959 as has mainly hosted community baseball since then, as well as the Centralia College Trailblazers baseball team, until they moved into their new home in 2023. This modest little ballfield tucked away on one side of a large park has seen its share of history over the years, as the large billboard naming all of the Major League players that have strode the grass here attests.
On the day I dropped by, the field was undergoing a major renovation and had been completely dug up. The long, deep trenches imply new irrigation systems are being installed. Although clearly not presenting its best face, I could sense that this would be a nice place to see a game, with three small grandstands right by the field, a nice view beyond the fence and a pretty spiffy scoreboard in right-center field.
A reliable source tells me that the orange seats came from the Kingdome in Seattle shortly before its demolition. These could use a little TLC, along with other parts of the grandstand, but I image that with so much investment going into the field, some spit and polish on the grandstands is not likely to be far behind.
The wooden clapboard outbuildings are freshly painted in a crips forest green and the light towers feature the latest LED technology. This old community ballpark, famous for its signature burgers, is clearly beloved and the work is being put in to ensure that it keeps serving as a center for local and major tournament baseball in Western Washington.
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2024
266
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