City of Whiting Hosts Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Celebrating New Turf Installation at Oil City Stadium

On Saturday, March 7, the city of Whiting invited the public to celebrate the new turf installation at Oil City Stadium, an event made possible by a partnership with Calumet College of St. Joseph’s (CCSJ) and The Lilly Endowment.

“The college and the city have collaborated on this new turf field, which cost about $1.5 million, and so we’re very excited about this partnership and very grateful that the Lilly Endowment has provided us the funds to partner with the city,” said Vice President of Institutional Advancement at CCSJ Brian Lowry. “It’s a college and community collaboration initiative, and we’re grateful that we get to partner with the city on lots of different things. It’s because of those deep ties that we were able to present a good case to Lilly.”

Whiting Mayor Steve Spebar was happy to present the new turf installation because he knows how important it is for the city to come together for athletic events and celebrate these improvements as a community.

“This new turf will give years of use and enjoyment for this field and its patrons,” Spebar said. “We’re able to use the field more extensively on days like today after all that rain we had last night. We wouldn’t be playing today without this installation, but we’re able to play now. It’s a perfect example of why we do this.”

Upon the new turf installation, CCSJ hosted the season opener. Though the day was wet and cold, the ball moved easily on the field, and factors like mud and slipping were virtually a non-factor.

Adi Cruz, park superintendent for the city of Whiting, was present to take part in the celebration. With the many changing seasons in the region, she knows how important it is to have reliable and beautiful coverage on the field.

“Right now it’s raining, and we probably would have canceled this game from all the rain we got if this were a dirt and grass field,” Cruz said. “Now we actually get to play and have continued to play throughout most of the season. It’s great that we have it. It’s a beautiful field. With the partnership of Calumet College of St. Joseph helped fund the field, we’ll be able to play a lot more games and be able to host a lot more different types of events.”

The new installation indeed offers a bright future for the years of sport ahead in the city of Whiting. Patrons can look forward to continued beautification at Oil City Stadium thanks to the generosity of their partners.

For more information on the City of Whiting, you can visit whitingindiana.com.