The story behind “ Friday Night Sites”

The story behind “ Friday Night Sites”

I’m not gonna lie to you, Crittenden County, I was stuck.

Leaving Marion’s spring game in late May, I started to kick around ideas in my bald skull as to what the 2016 Evening Times Pigskin Preview’s theme should be.

Over the years, I’ve done a lot of things. My first tab featured the starting quarterbacks around town, and while football is the ultimate team game, let’s face it, quarterbacks garner a lot of ink because of their importance.

The season after was also the first year for Marion head coach Jed Davis and West Memphis’ Billy Elmore. It was only natural to feature them on the cover at the railroad tracks that separate the two towns, and they were willing and gracious sports to take the picture. I thought I was out of ideas last year, but Earle’s water tower caught my eye as I strolled back into town after a road trip. I stand by the water tower cover but I also admit that it was risky and maybe wouldn’t have a ton of mass appeal.

So I got a jump on the process in the spring of this year.

I considered the mascots of the schools at first. Everyone loves mascots, right? Whoever dresses up in those costumes deserves a little love, because there’s no way that it’s fun to put on those masks in August and September and not pass out from heat exhaustion.

I thought about team pennants, maybe an old-fashioned look from the 1950s or 1960s with the big, curly font and more antiquated mascots.

Why not cheerleaders? That was actually the theme as recently as two weeks ago. I mean, these girls are all about school spirit and the uniforms would look really awesome in color on the cover of the tab.

I came up with “Friday Night Sites” as I was inside of Patriot Stadium observing practice one afternoon.

Then, when I saw Crittenden County Judge Woody Wheeless’ drone shot from above the stadium during Marion’s Four Quarters of Running, the whole thing finally made sense to me.

The turf, so green from above, meshed almost perfectly with the red in the end zones. Flying Elvis settled in the middle of the field didn’t hurt, either.

I didn’t think that there could be an interesting shot of a football stadium, not one at the high school level, anyway.

But when you really think about what all happens in those structures, it adds a ton of personality.

It hosts football three nights a week sometimes in the fall. Think of the memories made inside these buildings. They’re countless, right?

Even if you’re not from the area, you probably still think about your Friday nights at your school, wherever that is. It can be a memorable game, going to homecoming alone when you were in high school (this one isn’t about me. Maybe.), or you could have played in high school.

It hosts track meets, soccer, graduation. A lot of people do their walking and running at those sites. Above all else, it’s where communities come to-

Chuck’’s Corrnerr

By Chuck Livingston gether.

I remember last year’s football game between Marion and West Memphis and everything that went along with it. But I also remember the passion of the fan bases before, during and after the game. Hamilton-Shultz Field was the place to be.

So, no matter which stadium you call your home field, this issue was made with it in mind. Because at the end of the day, we all spend a lot of time at these stadiums, and most times that never even occurs to us.

Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you at the game.