Craven confirmed to help West Paris rebuild bleachers

WEST PARIS — Reconstruction of West Paris’ historic Harold C. Perham grandstand, destroyed July 24 by a teenage arsonist, will get a boost from Ricky Craven, the NASCAR driver from Newburg who has won in all three top touring series.

According to Jeff Shock, director of the West Paris Athletic Association (WPAA), Craven will appear at a public supper to be held Thursday, January 29, at the Four Seasons Function Center, in Paris.

Craven will give a post-dinner talk about his NASCAR career, to be followed by an auction of racing memorabilia.  Among the most highly anticipated items to go on the block will be a limited-edition print of Craven's 2003 win at Darlington, the closest in NASCAR history.  The print — No. 74 of 400 — is signed by Craven and artist Sam Bass.

“Those have sold for a couple thousand dollars down in Virginia," said Shock.  "But, like I told Ricky, we’re not Virginia.  We’re West Paris, Maine.  We’ll be lucky to get $200 here.”

Although Craven has not raced on NASCAR’s top circuit since 2004, Shock said he hopes an appearance by the driver — now a YAHOO! Sports race analyst — will sell all 200 tickets that are available. 

At $20, each, Shock says, "That's a pretty good deal."

“I’m hoping that will work out for us," he said, "because his fan base is still pretty good around here as far as I’m concerned.”

According to Shock, although the Maine Municipal Association originally had the entire ball field complex in West Paris insured for $7,000, it has since agreed to pay $6,000 on the lost contents of a storage area, plus up to $56,000 on the grandstand. 

That, he said, should cover a rebuild, complete with handicapped access compliant with modern standards.  Although the new structure will have sides made of corrugated steel — meaning less maintenance than the original wooden building — Shock says the WPAA has abandoned plans to make the the grandstand smaller than its predecessor, which was designed to seat 300.

"There's been a lot of talk," he said. "It's been a big issue in the town and the majority of the community wants it the way it was."

Shock said the Craven fundraiser will pay for a foundation for the new building, another concession to modern building codes.

"We’re in pretty good shape," he said.  "Now that the insurance company has come though on the building itself, we're just counting on this fundraiser to get us started on the foundation.

Shock says he hopes to bid out the project this year, with completion of the project targeted for spring, 2010.

Shock was able to secure Craven's participation thanks to a long friendship with the driver.  The two met in the early '90s when Craven was racing on the Busch North tour and Shock was circling Oxford Plains Speedway (OPS) in a super street.  Both drivers had the same sponsor at the time, so an OPS meeting was almost inevitable.

Then, in 2000, Shock spent a year working as a tire specialist on Craven's Nextel Cup team. 

Currently, Shock is busy trying to line up raffle donations for the auction.  Any area person or business interested in contributing an item should call Shock at 592-5588.  That number also may be used to buy tickets to the dinner.

Built shortly after World War II as a Federal Work Administration project, the Perham grandstand was said to have been one of three like it remaining in the state when it was destroyed.  Along with a pitching machine, a mower, and other grounds equipment, the fire also cost the town cherished baseball memorabilia, including town-team uniforms dating back to the 1930s.

“This was a landmark for the town of West Paris,” said WPAA vice-president Shannon LaFrance, “and it touched a lot of lives outside of West Paris.  My father used to take the train up here to play baseball games between Norway and South Paris.  A lot of people were just heartbroken about this [arson].”

The West Paris teenager accused of setting fire to the grandstand appeared in juvenile court in South Paris last September.  As with all cases involving minors, the records are sealed.  No information is available on the disposition of the case.