MILWAUKEE (Ticker) -- County Stadium, which hosted Hank Aaron in his prime and served as home to "Harvey's Wallbangers" will host its final contest on Thursday afternoon.

The venerable ballpark, which hosted World Series in 1957, 1958 and 1982, will close its doors after the game between the Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds. The stadium served as home for the Milwaukee Braves beginning in 1953 and hosted selected game of the Chicago White Sox and Green Bay Packers in the 48 years in between.

But the stadium, which is fondly remembered for its food, the presence of Bernie Brewer and the between inning sausage race is being torn down to make room for adjacent Miller Park. County Stadium has hosted a pair of All-Star Games, was the site of Harvey Haddix's near-perfect game and Willie Mays' only four-homer contest.

Lacking many of the modern features that adorn other parks, County Stadium featured a family tradition that carried onto the field. The tradition of long-time teammates like Henry Aaron, Eddie Mathews and Warren Spahn stretched into the early 1990s with the trio of Robin Yount, Paul Molitor and Jim Gantner.

"The way that the state, city and surrounding states have supported us was fantastic," said former Braves catcher Del Crandell. "The whole scene was a special time and County Stadium was the best place for that." "The people of Milwaukee were so wonderful," added Spahn, a member of the Hall of Fame who won his 300th game at County Stadium. "There were days we played lousy and they made excuses for us. I think that any player who played in the big leagues and did not get to play in Milwaukee missed a great part of baseball. We felt like we had a great advantage over any ballclub by playing in County Stadium."

Jeff D'Amico, who is trying to win the National League ERA title, gets the ball for the Brewers, who have not reached the postseason since Harvey Kuehn's beloved squad in 1982. That team lost the World Series in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Aaron, baseball's all-time home run leader who finished his career with the Brewers, is expected to be on hand. Joining him will be Ben Sheets, who tossed a three-hitter to clinch the gold medal for the United States Olympic team on Wednesday.

"The memories will be there forever, but there will definitely be a loss in the sense of tradition," said Gantner, a member of the 1982 team. "Once they demolish it and you drive by and see no more County Stadium, it will probably be even more touching than (Thursday)."

The Brewers will be moving into Miller Park, a $360 million ballpark with a retractable roof located directly behind County Stadium. Construction on the new stadium, which will seat 43,000, began in October 1996. But on July 14, 1999, a 567-foot crane -- the largest in North America -- toppled while attempting to hoist the last of three blocks that made up the fixed roof panel on the right side of the building.

The crane dropped -- still holding the 400-ton block -- and knocked down a second, smaller crane and the other two roof panels on the right side, killing three. Work was halted for several days until conditions were declared safe.

"It's going to be a fabulous new facility, as good as any new stadium out there," said Yount, another Hall of Famer. "I'm more excited about seeing the new Miller Park than losing the old County Stadium. Driving by County Stadium and seeing it not being used would be thougher than seeing it being torn down."