The culmination of almost two decades of hard work and determination is about to come to fruition this Friday afternoon, October 4th, as the Brookings Harbor Booster club hosts an open house and BBQ beginning at 3:00pm, Friday, October 4th, giving locals the opportunity to check out the state-of-the-art facilities at the new SOCOMI Sports Complex at Brookings-Harbor High School.
It all began decades ago after the high school named its athletic arena ‘Elmer Bankus Field’ after an early Brookings benefactor to honor his efforts to sustain and improve the Oregon Coast’s southernmost city.
On May 15th, 2024, after years of coordination with many local alumni and businesses starting as far back as 2007, South Coast Lumber Co. and Affiliates proudly announced the donation of a state-of-the-art all-field turf and track facility to Brookings Harbor High School, benefiting students and local community members. This donation is in memory of Ron Fallert, who, with his brother Larry Fallert at his side, created a legacy of generosity and dedication to the citizens of Curry County. In honor of Ron’s legacy, the athletic facility will be named SOCOMI Sports Complex. This designation serves as a tribute to Ron’s enduring influence and philanthropy.
And now, many local businesses will be following that lead, led by Brookings Harbor Booster club and almost 20 years of dogged determination by Daryn Farmer, a 1988 Brookings High School alumni and one of its members, with a new state of the art outdoor athletic Sports Complex at Brookings-Harbor High School.
Beginning as early as June, 2024, construction crews rolled onto the field to begin the almost $2 million dollar project, removing the existing natural turf and field goal posts, leveling an area for a new practice field between the track and the Gibney Center and the resurfacing of the track. The softball infield was also replaced this summer in a separate project that ran concurrently with the installation of the new turf multipurpose field using school district funds.
With the ‘official’ dedication slated for Friday, October 4th, the now mostly completed sports complex has already hosted some fall sports with the Bruin girls soccer team hosting their first league home game on September 12th, with a win against Coquille, boys varsity soccer hosted their first home game with a win over Rogue River Adventist Academy, September 24th.
And the consensus is in, the new SOCOMI Sports Complex at Brookings-Harbor High School is everything it was sold to be, and with its weight training facilities, resurfaced softball field, and Gibney Center indoor training facility should be considered the crown jewel outdoor sports facility on the southern Oregon coast.
Talking with track coach Jason Fulton, he said “First, we really want to thank the donors for this wonderful situation that we have inherited. It’s not often that something this wonderful is given, and we plan on taking care of it. We plan on using the facility to train in new ways. A lot of individuals have put a lot of time and thought into the track and field design and event placement, and we can’t wait to get on that new state of the are track surface.”
“It has been great to be able to play our home games on our new turf field.” varsity girls soccer coach Brian Carlson said. “We are very appreciative of all of the people who made this happen for our student athletes and for our community. If you haven’t had the opportunity to come see the new field and track we would love to have you come down and support our girls at one of our upcoming games.”
Varsity football coach Shawn Bavaro also remarked, “The kids made history, with the first win on our unbelievable beautiful new field. They will remember that for a lifetime. Special moment for kids, parents, fans and our alumni.”
“Coach Ashley and I would like to personally thank our community for their continued support and the local businesses who finally made the dream of having a new soccer/football field a reality.” varsity boys soccer coach John Silveira said. “We’ve been chomping at the bit to get onto the new field and the team was excited to get out on the new turf field and show the town what we’re made of. Thank you for investing in our community and our children.”
Athletic Director Kieth Wallin told the Compass “We are truly grateful for such an amazing gift to the students of our district. We look forward to many fun and exciting events for years to come and will work as hard as we can to maintain its beauty. Our coaches and students are very excited. This is a great thing for Bruin Athletics.
The Brookings-Harbor School District and the Bruin Booster Club are excited to invite the community to the official dedication of the new SOCOMI Sports Complex on Friday, October 4, 2024.
The day’s festivities will begin at 3 p.m. with an Open House and Barbecue hosted by the Bruin Booster Club at the main entrance to the stadium (enter from the Fern Avenue parking lot). The event will feature a ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate the new facilities, a performance by the Brookings-Harbor High School marching band and remarks from students, speeches from community leaders, and displays of historical photos alongside images from the recent summer construction.
The Open House is a free event, open to the public, offering a unique opportunity for community members to experience the new state-of-the-art turf and track surfaces up close. Attendees can sign a “Thank You” banner to community members who helped make this project a reality.
