It’s no secret that Lodi has long been recognized for its
commitment to preserving historical landmarks. A few that come
to mind are Hutchins Street Square, old Lincoln School, Lodi City
Hall and Carnegie Forum. All were once on the brink of
obscurity and becoming obsolete; but were saved and transformed into
useful community assets. It’s also no secret that over the
years Lodi has been admired for its interest in and promotion of
youth sports. From traditionally strong high school athletic
programs to the 47 year relationship with the Boosters of Boys &
Girls Sports (BOBS), a community based volunteer youth sports
organization, Lodi has been revered for its recreational programs
and playing host to many local and regional sports activities.
Well, we are now facing the challenge of preserving yet another
landmark. And at the same time, we will be perpetuating a long
standing sports tradition. The Lodi Grape Bowl, built
as a WPA project in 1940, is in dire need of repair and renovation.
And, it must be made to comply with current Americans with
Disabilities Act (“ADA”) rules and regulations. Costs
associated with correcting ADA deficiencies and upgrading the
facility to expand its uses are estimated between $5-$6 million
– Healthy numbers, but certainly attainable!
We have been initially granted $675,000 from City of Lodi Community Development Block Grant and San Joaquin County Discretionary funds. This is, indeed, a significant amount of seed money with which to start a project of this magnitude; and we are genuinely grateful to our government agency partners for their support. But it will fall well short of our overall goal without substantial contributions from the community.

Please join local community leaders in support of the Save the Grape Bowl effort. The “Give Today So Our Youth Can Play Tomorrow” campaign provides you an opportunity to help preserve another Lodi landmark and sports tradition.
Our mission is to save and restore the Lodi Grape Bowl so that it can be used by the surrounding Community and region for generations to come.
Contact us if you are interested in volunteering your time and expertise to the Save the Grape Bowl Campaign.
Copyright 2007. Artwork by Wenell, Mattheis, Bowe. Website designed and donated by Applied Office.