Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Nostalgic Walk Around Axley Field

Editorial
By Gregg Reep

For those who have been around Warren or visited regularly going back to the 1940"s  and on into the 1970's, you know where I am talking about when I mention Axley Field.  It is located north of the current high school basketball gym, situated between Seminary and Cherry Streets.  It is an historical site where generations of Lumberjack football players labored on the gridiron.  Many great games were played on the site.  That included senior high, Jr. high, 7th grade and YMCA Midget football for elementary age students.  It is also the site where championship marching bands competed and performed.  Hundreds of Warren students spent hours on the field both practicing and competing.  Many of us consider it hollowed ground.


The field has recently been renovated and is being turned into a regulation soccer field.  New lights have been installed, a new concession stand with modern restrooms has been built and work on the field continues.  Expect to see youth soccer and high school soccer utilize the field along with other non school groups who may play on it from time to time.  I'm informed that pee wee football may also use the site in the future.

The Warren School District owns the field and in cooperation with the City of Warren has remodeled and rebuilt the facility.  It should be an asset to the community for many years to come and for that I am very pleased.  It adds greatly to the city and school district's recreational and athletic opportunities.


Recently I walked from my home, one block from the field and just wandered around thinking about the years I spent taking part in sports on that very special site.  I could visualize the bleachers on both sides, the concession stands and the areas along the side of the field where some of the older men stood to watch.  Everything was close to the field so one could hear and feel the impact of tackles and the signals as they were barked out by the quarterbacks and linebackers on defense.  I could also see the restrooms that were built sometime in the 1960's on the south end of the field.  It kind of got spooky when I began seeing players and coaches on the sidelines and the teams lining up against each other on the field.  Oh yea, I also spotted the Warren cheerleaders on the sidelines and could see and hear the Curry Martin Band in the bandstand situated on the Northeast corner.

While my visions did not last long, they were vivid and real.  It got so intense I began to relive plays we ran in 1971 and some that I watched from the stands as a youngster.  It was a surreal experience but it was mostly wonderful memories.  I do remember some practices that were not so much fun, but the games were all worthwhile.  It was the place almost the entire town gathered on Friday nights during the fall to play, pull for and compete against other communities mostly from south Arkansas.  The game of football provided not only physical and mental preparation for the student/athletes but also that intangible contribution of teamwork and bonding of players and the community of Warren.  There is no price that can be placed on the benefits to students and the city.

My guess is that literally hundreds of former players and those who attended games at Axley would have the same experience if they wandered by and spent a few moments on the field or just standing along side it. So many memories came pouring through my mind.  It took a few minutes to get back to reality.  I trust those who read this may experience the joy I did.  It is important to always look to the future.  We cannot live in the past, but the past can be fun to think about and it can help us plan for and be productive in the future.  So, here is to the past of Axley Field, but also to the now and the future and the impact it will have on today's students and the community of Warren.  Axley lives on!  Once a Lumberjack, always a Lumberjack!  

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