With a new press box in place at Osage City Schools’ new sports facility, it’ll still be a few weeks before football games will be played on the new field.

The press box was lifted off of a semi-trailer and put in place above the home-side bleachers Friday, but weather delays have prevented Osage City High School from hosting the first home games of the season on the field, according to a message from USD 420 Superintendent Troy Hutton in the district’s September newsletter.

The first home games and tonight’s game against Chase County will be played at the Emporia State University stadium. Tonight’s game begins at 7 p.m. (Admission is $4 for adults and $2 for students.)

The new press box offers cozy accommodations and the best seats in the stadium.

“With the weather delays to the football field, it will be impossible to host our first home games of the season on the field,” Hutton said in the newsletter.

As such, the opening home games with Lyndon, scheduled on Sept. 12 and 13, will instead be played at ESU stadium on the night of Friday, Sept. 13. The game night will be a junior high school and high school double header with the junior high game beginning at 5 p.m. and the high school varsity game beginning at 7:30 p.m.

“We believe that we will be able to host home games on the field beginning with the high school varsity home game with Northern Heights on Sept. 27,” Hutton said.

Other work completed Friday was the asphalt base for the track, and the rubberized track surface is scheduled to be applied during a window from Oct. 17. The parking lot is to be completed Monday and Tuesday next week.

The district also reports that renovation of the Osage City Elementary School is complete and the punch list is being finalized. The library is in its final stages and scheduled to be completed by Oct. 18. The elementary school is to host an open house for the community upon completion of the library.