Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Taking in the Vikings unveiling of the new stadium plans


Monday May 13th I made my way to Mall of America Field in hopes of being one of the luck 200 fans to see the unveiling of the new stadium plans.

I took the light rail and was sitting with my back to where we were going. The closer we got the more nervous I got. How many people would be in line? Would I be lucky to get a ticket? If I don’t, was it a waste of time to come? These are some of the questions rolling through my head.

We came by the dome and I saw gate B where tickets would be handed out. I had to look in hopes of thinking I had a chance.

It was 2:20 when I got to gate B and found myself to be 14th in line. The first guy in line was there at 10:30am. I thought I was crazy. I pulled up a piece of concrete and sat my but on it for 2:40.

5:00 finally came and I felt like I was the winner of Willy Wonka’s Chocolate factory golden ticket. I am in and the feeling was like no other. The wait was so worth it.

The next step was going to the Guthrie Theatre where the event would take place. I went up to the Balcony level on the 5th level.  They had a restaurant so we could grab a bite to eat.

We were told seating would begin at 6:15. I had never been to the Guthrie Theatre in my life so when I got to my chair I spent time looking around in amazement how beautiful the theatre was.

The event finally began at 7:15, 5 hours after I had started waiting for tickets. The presentation was absolutely wonderful. Paul Allen was the emcee and did an amazing job.

If you had a chance to watch this on line you had to be impressed. HKS, design principal, Bryan Trubey gave the layout of the stadium. I will not go through the details as you may already know or you can read about it on many websites. I am here to tell you sitting in the theatre the ooh’s and ah’s I was hearing. It was like a 4th of July fireworks as people watch those.

It was a thrill to be there and see what the future has for a multipurpose stadium. I wish it was 2016 already. If I am shaking my head in amazement at picture’s I can hardly wait to be in there and take it all in.

The guests that were brought in were amazing. It was my first chance to see Governor Dayton in person. The welcome he got when his name was called brought chills knowing this is the man who helped get the project dome amongst many others.

Minneapolis Mayor RT Rybak was amongst the speakers of the night. The owners Mark and Zygi Wilf, Leslie Frazier, Phil Loadholt and John Sullivan along with GM Rick Spielman also took their turns at the microphone.

I sat in the Vikings fans section in the balcony taking picture after picture. The fans stood up 3 times with one at the beginning, middle and end of the presentation singing the Vikings fight song. “Skol Vikings.” It was awesome to be a part of such passionate fans.

One of the last speakers of the night was Hall of Fame coach, Bud Grant. The standing ovation he got was simply amazing. The guy still looks the same. He just not seem to change, He had said he hopes he is still around when this stadium opens. I hope he does as well.

The night ended at 8:30 and we were provided with coffee and cookies. The special thing about these cookies is they were yellow and purple. It made them taste even better.

I was on my way out when I saw two Minnesota legends talking, Walter Mondale and Sid Hartman. They were talking with Vikings offensive coordinator, Bill Musgrave. What a thrill to see Mondale.

What a night as I made my way back to Owatonna thinking about everything I had taken in tonight. It was worth every minute. The excitement in the Guthrie Theatre is something I can’t put in one word.

Thanks for reading

Purplestick

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