Growden Memorial Park
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Growden Memorial Park is an outdoor park in
Fairbanks, Alaska Fairbanks is a home rule city and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska and the second largest in the state. The 2020 Census put the p ...
,
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.Originally called Memorial Park, the park was renamed in 1964 in memory of James Growden who, along with his two sons, lost his life in the tsunami created by the Good Friday Earthquake of 1964. Growden had been active in youth activities in Fairbanks for a number of years.


History & Features

Growden Memorial Field is a baseball park located in Growden Memorial Park used for collegiate summer and
high school baseball High may refer to: Science and technology * Height * High (atmospheric), a high-pressure area * High (computability), a quality of a Turing degree, in computability theory * High (tectonics), in geology an area where relative tectonic uplift to ...
and has been the home field for the Alaska Baseball League's
Alaska Goldpanners The Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks are a collegiate summer baseball team which was founded in 1960 as an independent barnstorming team. The Goldpanners were charter members of the Alaska Baseball League at the league's inception in 1974. The ...
since 1960. It was also home to the defunct North Pole Nicks, before the Nicks relocated to Newby Field. Famous players to play at Growden include
Tom Seaver George Thomas Seaver (November 17, 1944 – August 31, 2020), nicknamed "Tom Terrific" and "the Franchise", was an American professional baseball pitcher who played 20 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the New York Mets, Cinc ...
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Dave Winfield David Mark Winfield (born October 3, 1951) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) right fielder. He is the special assistant to the executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association. Over his 22-year career, he play ...
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Rick Monday Robert James "Rick" Monday Jr. (born November 20, 1945) is an American former professional baseball player who now serves as a broadcaster. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a center fielder from 1966 to 1984, most notably as a member ...
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Terry Francona Terrence Jon Francona (born April 22, 1959), nicknamed "Tito", is an American baseball manager and former player who is the manager of the Cleveland Guardians in Major League Baseball (MLB). Previously, he was the manager of the Boston Red Sox fo ...
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Bob Boone Robert Raymond Boone (born November 19, 1947) is an American former catcher and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB) who was a four-time All-Star. Born in San Diego, California, he is the son of MLB player Ray Boone, and he is the father o ...
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Bret Boone Bret Robert Boone (born April 6, 1969) is a former Major League Baseball second baseman. During his career Boone was a three-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glove winner, and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner. He is a third generation professio ...
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Jason Giambi Jason Gilbert Giambi (; born January 8, 1971) is an American former professional baseball first baseman and designated hitter. In his Major League Baseball (MLB) career, which began in 1995, Giambi played for the Oakland Athletics, New York Yank ...
, and Barry Bonds. It also has played host to the
Alaska School Activities Association The Alaska School Activities Association (ASAA) is the regulating body for high school interscholastic activities in Alaska and is Alaska's member to the National Federation of State High School Associations. History The Alaska High School Activ ...
state baseball championships over the last few years. It has an artificial turf infield and a natural grass outfield. It contains several dozen box seats salvaged from Seattle's Sick's Stadium. The
Carlson Center The Carlson Center is a 4,595-seat multi-purpose arena in Fairbanks, Alaska, United States. It is the third largest arena in Alaska by seating capacity after the Sullivan Arena and Alaska Airlines Center, both of which are in Anchorage. It is hom ...
is located nearby. The ballpark holds 3,500 people and plays host to the Midnight Sun Game. A crowd larger than 5,200 attended the 1967 Midnight Sun Game when the Goldpanners hosted Kumagai-Gumi of Japan. The John Weaver Skate Park, four youth baseball fields, one youth softball field and volleyball courts are located in the park.


References

Alaska Baseball League Baseball venues in Alaska Buildings and structures in Fairbanks, Alaska Minor league baseball venues Monuments and memorials in Alaska Parks in Alaska Protected areas of Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska Softball venues in the United States Volleyball venues in Alaska {{FairbanksNorthStarAK-geo-stub