This week marks the first time sports teams will get the chance to use the state-of-the-art field at Newberg High School and that time is not too soon in coming.

For years NHS football players have played in the muck and the mire of a natural field with poor drainage and grass that was diseased and dying. No amount of upkeep, it seemed, would make the playing surface anything more than serviceable.

But no longer. Now the school has a bright, flat and well-drained pitch on which to battle area schools in football and soccer. The accouterments surrounding the field – brick work, fencing, new ticket booths and, eventually, a new track – will also serve the school well and provide a source of ncome as a facility that can be rented out for other activities.
   
The field will also be the home for Oregon Special Olympics’ summer games. The organization has, at least for the time being, made Newberg its summer home and the new field will provide a spectacular backdrop for the annual event.

Then there’s also Newberg Relay for Life, which annually stages its event on the track at the high school. Next year, the walkers will enjoy a new track surface on which to raise money for cancer research, and to honor people battling the disease and the memory of those who have lost their fight.

The bill for improving the field is shared by the school district and the Newberg Booster Club, who we’re confident wouldn’t turn down your donation if you were so inclined.

So, get out to NHS on Friday evening and see what that money buys. It’s a grand field.