The Alex T. Duffy Fairgrounds is a multi-purpose facility in

Watertown, New York Watertown is a city in, and the county seat of, Jefferson County, New York, United States. It is approximately south of the Thousand Islands, along the Black River about east of where it flows into Lake Ontario. The city is bordered by th ...

, spanning 67 acres. The stadium capacity is 3,500. It contains the longest-running fair in the United States, The Jefferson County Fair, and was named after Alex T. Duffy.

Events

Baseball

baseball park A ballpark, or baseball park, is a type of sports venue where baseball is played. The playing field is divided into the infield, an area whose dimensions are rigidly defined, and the outfield, where dimensions can vary widely from place to pla ...

on the grounds serves as home to the Watertown Rapids of the

Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League The Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL) is a 16-team Collegiate summer baseball, collegiate summer baseball league founded in 2010. As of 2022, all teams are within New York (state). All players in the league must have National Colle ...

. The ballpark has a capacity of 2,500 people and opened in 1936. It served as minor league baseball home to the 1936 Watertown Grays of the Class C level

Canadian-American League Canadian Americans is a term that can be applied to American citizens whose ancestry is wholly or partly Canadian, or citizens of either country that hold dual citizenship. The term ''Canadian'' can mean a nationality or an ethnicity. Canadian ...

and

Watertown Athletics The Watertown Athletics were a minor league baseball team based in Watertown, New York.. The Athletics played from 1946 to 1951 and were preceded by the 1936 Watertown Greys and an 1888 Watertown team. Watertown teams played as members of the 1888 ...

of the Class C level

Border League The Border League, is the oldest established rugby union league in the World, having been formed in 1901. Currently known as the Booker Border League, after its sponsors, teams from all over the Scottish Borders as well as Berwick RFC from North ...

from 1946 to 1951. From 1983 until 1998 it was the home of the Watertown Pirates and

Watertown Indians Watertown may refer to: Places in China In China, a water town is a type of ancient scenic town known for its waterways. Places in the United States *Watertown, Connecticut, a New England town **Watertown (CDP), Connecticut, the central village ...

of the Class A level

New York–Penn League The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed th ...

. In 1999, the New York Penn-League franchise moved to

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey b ...

and became the

Staten Island Yankees The Staten Island Yankees were a minor league baseball team located in the New York City borough of Staten Island from 1999 to 2020. Nicknamed the "Baby Bombers", the Yankees were the Class A Short Season affiliate of the New York Yankees and pla ...

through 2019.

Football

The

Watertown Red & Black The Watertown Red & Black is a semi-professional American football team based in Watertown, New York. The team is the oldest active semi-pro football team in the United States, and can trace its history to 1896, although the Professional Footba ...

play their home games at the fairgrounds. The stadium's namesake, Alex Duffy, was a longtime member of the Red & Black during its prime days as a professional team.

Ice hockey

The Watertown Municipal Arena is located on the fairgrounds. Since 2012, the arena has been used for a minor professional hockey team now called the

Watertown Wolves The Watertown Wolves are a minor professional hockey team in the Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) based in Watertown, New York, and play home games at the Watertown Municipal Arena. The team was on hiatus during the 2015–16 season while ...

of the

Federal Prospects Hockey League The Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) is a professional ice hockey independent minor league with teams in the Midwestern, Southern, and Northeastern United States. The FPHL began operations in November 2010 as the Federal Hockey League. D ...

. It was originally called the 1000 Islands Privateers when it moved from Alexandria Bay to Watertown, and it took the 2015–16 season off for arena renovations.

Other events

As its name implies, the area is home to the Jefferson County

Fair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Types Variations of fairs incl ...

in late July of each year. Built in the late 1800's, it originally included a horse racing track where the grandstands now sits. From 1951 until 1974 it was home to the

Watertown Speedway Watertown Speedway was a 1/2 mile dirt oval raceway located at the Jefferson County fairgrounds in Watertown, New York. Located in the Thousand Islands region, it drew competitors and fans from both sides of the Canada–US border History Au ...

References

{{Reflist

External links

Photographs of Alex P. Duffy Fairgrounds – ''Rochester Area Ballparks''
Sports venues in Jefferson County, New York Minor league baseball venues Baseball venues in New York (state) Indoor ice hockey venues in New York (state) American football venues in New York (state) Buildings and structures in Watertown, New York