| Civic Stadium appears to be almost a twin of Olympic Stadium in Hoquiam, WA, only on a slightly smaller scale. Fortunately, Eugene's ballpark lasted a lot longer hosting professional baseball. Located just south of the downtown, the ballpark is tucked away in a residential area and is not easy to find without good directions. The large wooden J-shaped grandstand is almost completely covered and extends most of the way down the line in right field, but only a short distance down the third base line. Under the grandstand there are just wooden benches (without backs), but in front there are several sections of box seats that were presumably added within the last couple decades. Surprisingly, fans don't seem to mind sitting on the hard wooden benches, but perhaps they don't know any better as there aren't in any new minor league ballparks in the area for them to compare Civic Stadium to. Access to the grandstand is through several small portals that lead to the middle of the seating rather than the walkway that splits the box seats and bench seats. This causes an awkward flow of fan traffic, especially after the game when egress can be very slow. Picnic areas down each line complete the seating. The concourse is located behind the grandstand on the first base side. It features a large open area with several concession stands and a small souvenir store. Concessions are well varied (burritos, burgers, cheese steaks, chicken sandwiches) and the quality is excellent. Despite Eugene being a rather large city, the ballpark definitely has a community feel to it. Having been to the home opener here, it just seemed like everyone knew each other and that this was the place to be on that particular day. The large crowd was into the game and didn't need anything else (such as a mascot or between inning games) to keep their attention. And surprisingly the team doesn't seem to have a mascot. Adding to the great baseball atmosphere is the large manual scoreboard in right field and the peaceful setting of mountains which provide the backdrop. Taking in a ballgame at Civic Stadium really is a throwback to a different time. Though it is unclear how much longer pro baseball will be played here. There has been talk of building a ballpark that would be shared with the University of Oregon (which currently does not have a baseball team), but fortunately there is also an organization that is committed to trying to preserve Civic Stadium and keep the Ems there. Because there are so few ballparks like Civic Stadium still being used, here's hoping the Ems continue to play here for many more years. Unfortunately, 2009 was the last year for the Ems at Civic Stadium as they moved to the University of Oregon's new on-campus facility, PK Park. As of mid-2015, the future of Civic Stadium still remained somewhat uncertain, though that all changed in June of 2015 when the ballpark burned to the ground due to some kids playing with fire. So sad to see the life of a great old ballpark end this way.
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