The Alaska Goldpanners might never clinch a national championship at Growden Memorial Park, but still the park has been as much a part of the Goldpanners story as anything else.
Located at the foot of the historic and famous Second Street in Fairbanks, Growden Park has been the home of the Goldpanners since they moved there from their first home, Griffin Field, in time for the 1963 season.
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 a tidal wave created by the Good Friday Earthquake of 1964. Growden had been active in youth activities in Fairbanks for a number of years.
Growden Park became the first outdoor lighted facility in Alaska in 1964. Since then numerous other improvements have been made, so that now the park has come to be regarded as one of the top playing facilities in non-professional baseball.
The seating capacity at Growden is approximately 3,500, although a crowd in excess of 5,200 was on hand for the 1967 Midnight Sun Game, when the Goldpanners played Kumagai-Gumi of Japan.
Spacious, the playing field lists dimensions of 315 feet to left field, 398 to the power alley in left center, 410 to dead center, 398 to right center, before tapering off again to 330 feet along the right field foul line.
"Growden Memorial is an old-fashioned ballpark with no bad seats and ticket takers and vendors that remember your name."
(Land of the Radioactive Midnight Sun - Sean Michael Flynn)
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