The grandstand at the Cloverdale fairgrounds

When I was growing up in Cloverdale the grandstand was a lot different than the one that is standing there today. The grandstand back then were rows of bleachers, undercover with a roof overhead, but still open to the elements. In other words if it was raining, one could stay reasonably dry in the bleachers depending on where you were sitting, but if it was cold and windy, everyone was subject to that. This was where people sat and watched the rodeo and other events that might be happening in the infield throughout the year.

At the top of the grandstand, the nosebleed section, the building had window openings. No glass in them. People standing at the top could hang outside and wave to people below in the parking lot or out on 60th Avenue.

There were washrooms on the parking lot level that were open year round. Unlocked. Very convenient when we were playing over at Greenaway Park and someone needed to use the toilet, everyone would walk over to the grandstand. And then we'd continue playing in the grandstand, running up and down the steps, and along the benches.

I guess if there were any homeless people in Cloverdale back then this would have been an ideal place for them to stay. A covered place to sleep and washrooms.

By the time Standardbred horse racing came to Cloverdale in the mid 70's, the grandstand underwent a renovation. Seeing as how back then the racetrack charged patrons $2 admission to come in and watch the horse races, it wouldn't do to have open gates with access to the grandstand. Half of the grandstand was completely enclosed so patrons could sit and watch horse races in the winter months in warmth. Though I'm not exactly sure when that half was enclosed, whether or not that was the year horse racing started or a year or two later. The other half of the grandstand was left as it was - covered roof but otherwise open to the weather. Better known as the smoking section. The curling rink was attached to the original grandstand. A new building was built closer to 176th Street in its current location, to make way for the renovations for the racetrack.

By that time I was too old to be playing in the grandstand, running up and down the bleacher stairs and jumping from bench to bench, and then hanging out the window at the top watching the traffic go by on 60th. So I guess the renovation process kind of passed me by. The last generation of Cloverdale kids who got to enjoy playing in the grandstand before the renovations and locking it off to the public.