SPOKANE, Wash. — Avista Stadium's sign painter, Ruben Marcilla, graced the walls of Avista Stadium with his work for more than three decades. Each sign he painted for the beloved venue meant change was coming to the stadium.
Thirty-five years later, it’s time for another change.
The MiLB has mandated that all outfield stadium fences be padded. So now Ruben, and his handcrafted signs, are no longer allowed at Avista Stadium.
“This is my last year and this is the fence’s last year too because they’re gonna do something different, right?,” Marcilla said. “The only thing certain in life is change.”
But Marcilla has plenty of memories in Avista Stadium. Above all else, it’s always been more than the paint. It’s here, among the aroma of ballpark hotdogs, the cheers of fans, and the crack of a bat that Ruben finds peace.
“I got hit by lightning right under the RV sign,” he said. “When I first did this the first year I had no idea that 35 years from now I’d still be doing this.”
One thing will not change for Marcilla.
“I love painting I’ve never done anything else in my life. I’ve always just painted signs,”
So now, as the Spokane Indians prepare to enter the 2024 season. Change is written on the walls. It is written in careful brush strokes and colorful hues that only a master of his craft can create. Change comes for us all but for people like Ruben Marcilla, it’s just another drop of the paint in the bucket.
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