Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Stadium Dedicated

It was a splendid night for football.

The skies were clear, there was little humidity and a gentle breeze was blowing.

This is how the dedication of the new Go-Devil Stadium was welcomed Friday night.

Fans began arriving more than an hour before game time, as the Devils were set to take on the Lake Village Beavers. Parking was limited at the inaugural game, while the home side of the stands were packed.

There was, though, plenty of space available on the visitors side of the field.

There was also some irony in the two combatants. Last season Gurdon traveled to Southeast Arkansas to be the first team to play at Lake Village's new stadium, and hammered their hosts 30-8.

The weather conditions for the 1998 game weren't nearly as pleasant as they were Friday night. For the 98 contest, the teams had to battle it out in a torrential downpour.

No, Friday's inaugural game couldn't have had better weather, as the temperatures were in the upper 80s.

The official dedication of the new stadium had to wait until halftime, and followed the performance of the Marching Go-Devil Band.

Gurdon High School Principal Leonard Gills opened the dedication by telling fans Go-Devil football has been around for 80 years, since 1919.

The Devils, he said, have a long and proud tradition.

Superintendent Bobby Smithson followed by recognizing the efforts of those who helped make the stadium go from being a dream to a reality.

Special recognition went to the Horace C. Cabe Foundation and Lewis Cabe Foundation, along with First State Bank, former Clark County Judge Grady Runyan and Austin and Mary Lou Capps.

"A lot of work has gone on out here," he said. "We've had to fight the rain, mud, dry weather and heat. Without Jay Dickey's help, we might not have water and sewer out here."

Smithson then introduced Fourth Congressional District Representative Dickey, the keynote speaker for the event.

"This is a wonderful thing," Dickey said. "It's what it's all about."

Taxpayers, he continued, gave the district money saying it had to be used to build a stadium.

"This is a lot like what we do in Washington," he said. "We appropriate money after looking at what needs to be done back home."

However, Dickey told the crowd when the money is raised and spent at the local level it means even more to a community.

Following Dickey's talk, Smithson asked all the former Go-Devil football players to come down from the stands and take their place on the field. Once this had taken place, the stadium was officially dedicated to them.