Mifflin County’s new stadium could transform our community

The sound of a marching band warming up will drift over the parking lots. Downtown, restaurant owners will watch the clock, knowing the dinner rush will happen before the first kickoff.

The new stadium is more than a home for football, soccer, or field hockey. It is a public investment with the potential to change how Mifflin County comes together. By moving major events to a modern, on-campus venue, the district has created a magnet for activity that can ripple far beyond the bleachers.

Every game, band competition, and track meet will pull people toward local shops, diners, and hotels. In a community that has fought to keep its downtown vibrant, those extra visitors matter.

The facility’s size alone, nearly 4,300 seats, gives the county something it has never had before: the ability to host events on a regional scale. High school championships, band invitationals, and multi-school tournaments now have a venue that can handle the crowds.

That means more cars in town, more meals ordered, more fuel pumped. Marcal Paper Field, with its eight-lane track and seating for 500, further expands the options, allowing the county to host meets and practices that once required travel outside the area.

Local leaders have worked for years to align economic development with community life. The recent Main Street designation gives Lewistown access to significant grant funding for business improvements. Pairing that with the steady flow of visitors the stadium will attract is a strategic opportunity. If businesses plan ahead — adjusting hours on game days, offering specials, promoting events–they can turn occasional surges into regular income.

The benefits are not limited to football season. Artificial turf and improved drainage enable the fields to be used in a wider range of weather conditions and for more months of the year. Marching band exhibitions, lacrosse matches, youth soccer tournaments, and field hockey playoffs can now be played without fear of tearing up the surface.

The baseball and softball fields, upgraded with turf infields, add yet another layer of activity. A venue that once might have sat idle from November to August can now anchor events in all but the coldest weeks.

An accessible design makes the stadium a true gathering place. Ramps and accessible seating ensure that grandparents, alumni, and residents with mobility challenges can attend comfortably. Modern restrooms, concessions, and lighting enhance the overall experience for everyone, transforming attendance into something people look forward to rather than tolerate.

This is also a move toward unity. For decades, Mitchell Field served as a cherished venue, but it sat off campus. Now, the games and events that define the high school experience unfold in the same space where students learn and practice their skills.

Younger athletes can watch the varsity teams without traveling across town. Band students can rehearse in the same venue where they’ll perform under the lights. The campus becomes the center of school spirit, extending to the broader community.

Economic impact studies in other towns with similar facilities show measurable benefits. Visitors from outside the county spend on food, fuel, lodging, and shopping. Even small amounts add up when multiplied by hundreds of attendees over dozens of events.

Hosting regional track meets or marching band competitions can fill parking lots not only at the school, but in the surrounding business districts. The spillover effect strengthens the argument that this project is not an expense alone, but an investment with ongoing returns.

Timing matters. The completion of the stadium coincides with visible momentum in Lewistown’s downtown. New shops, renovated storefronts, and planned improvements are already attracting foot traffic.

Aligning downtown events with stadium schedules could double the benefit. An arts market could follow a Saturday band competition. A Friday night football game could start after a late-afternoon downtown music performance. The possibilities are limited only by the community’s willingness to coordinate.

A responsibility comes with this opportunity. A modern stadium draws attention, but it will take consistent planning to turn that attention into sustained economic growth. The school district, borough officials, business owners, and civic groups should collaborate to promote events, manage traffic, and ensure visitors have compelling reasons to stay after the final whistle. The facilities are built; now, the partnerships must be built to match.

When the lights come on for the first full season, it will mark more than the start of a game. It will signal a chance for Mifflin County to showcase itself–to visitors, to alumni, and to the students who will carry this community forward.

The roar of a crowd and the beat of a drumline will be the soundtrack, but the real measure of success will be seen downtown, in the restaurants with tables filled, in the shops with steady sales, in the sense of pride that comes from seeing a public project fulfill its promise.

The glow from those lights will not stop at the edge of the turf. If the county seizes the moment, it can spread down Market Street, through every neighborhood, and into the future of a community that knows how to make the most of a good thing. The stadium may have been built for sports, but its reach can be much greater — if we choose to make it so.