{"id":208418,"date":"2026-07-30T20:26:24","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T01:26:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/?p=208418"},"modified":"2026-07-30T20:26:26","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T01:26:26","slug":"paver-tribute-area-installed-at-historic-eggerss-stadium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/2026\/07\/30\/paver-tribute-area-installed-at-historic-eggerss-stadium\/","title":{"rendered":"Paver tribute area installed at historic Eggerss Stadium"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"550\" height=\"535\" src=\"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Eggerss-Stadium-pavers-7-2026.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-208420\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Shown above are examples of small, medium and large pavers at Eggerss Stadium. Photos submitted<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><em>VW independent staff\/submitted information<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For Van Wert Cougar football fans, Friday, August 21, can\u2019t come soon enough. The thrill and anticipation of the season opener at home against Bryan looms large. The excitement, coupled with improvements and new construction at Eggerss Stadium makes it even more special.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The area just beyond the south end zone at the historic stadium has been buzzing all summer as new concessions, restrooms, entranceway, ticket booth, band bleachers, and a plaza area all take shape. It\u2019s the culmination of years of planning and months of work to prepare for the 2026 season. The work is part of fourth and final phase of the massive renovation project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To compliment all of these new features at Eggerss Stadium, a paver tribute area has been installed just inside the new south entrance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe concept of the pavers is to provide a way for fans and supporters of Van Wert athletics to recognize players, fans, coaches, and supporters of the stadium renovation by leaving a lasting legacy at the stadium,\u201d said John White, Capital Campaign Chair of the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An initial group of pavers that were purchased over the past 18 months has been installed. This group still has to be fine-tuned, cleaned, and quality checked before the home opener. A second group is currently in production with hopes to be ready by late August.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe are excited to provide a way for our fans and supporters to play a part in the success of this multi-year effort,\u201d Van Wert City Schools Superintendent Mark Bagley said. \u201cThe paver project allows a method to leave a forever legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe good news is it\u2019s not too late to participate in this program,\u201d White said. \u201cWe\u2019ll be accepting new donor submissions throughout the 2026 football season.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Three sizes of pavers are available \u2013 small, medium and large for $250, $500 and $1,000 each. According to White, there are 135 pavers so far and room for 25-35 more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more information on how to participate, click <a href=\"https:\/\/athletics.vwcs.net\/eggerss-stadium\">here<\/a> or call or text White at 419.203.1217.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The massive renovation project at the downtown stadium began in 2023. The long list of improvements and upgrades includes artificial turf, restorative concrete work on the home side structure, a restored Cougar Pride Wall, a restored home locker room, new restroom and concession areas, a new press box and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A special dedication ceremony will take place before the September 18 home game against Defiance.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"960\" height=\"671\" src=\"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Eggerss-Stadium-pavers-II-7-2026.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-208423\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Eggerss-Stadium-pavers-II-7-2026.jpg 960w, https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Eggerss-Stadium-pavers-II-7-2026-550x384.jpg 550w, https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Eggerss-Stadium-pavers-II-7-2026-768x537.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>VW independent staff\/submitted information For Van Wert Cougar football fans, Friday, August 21, can\u2019t come soon enough. The thrill and anticipation of the season opener at home against Bryan looms large. The excitement, coupled with improvements and new construction at Eggerss Stadium makes it even more special. The area just beyond the south end zone [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-208418","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-topstory"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-07 14:58:45","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208418","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=208418"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208418\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":208431,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208418\/revisions\/208431"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=208418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=208418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=208418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}