macbob
  • macbob
  • Veteran Member Topic Starter
13 years ago
They have a video on the site that I couldn't figure out how to embed here. It's worth a watch, if nothing else for the Vikings fan saying "Go Pack Go".

http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikings/115340284.html 

Twin Cities Packers fans are going well beyond face paint, foam hats and brats for Sunday's Super Bowl.

This week's snow brought yet another round of shoveling. For Minneapolis' Mary VanderLeest, it meant a more unusual chore: cheese restoration.

The day after her beloved Green Bay Packers qualified for the Super Bowl, VanderLeest and neighbor Curtis Johnson built a gigantic "cheese" sculpture -- 3 1/2 feet tall, 12 feet long and 8 feet wide -- out of snow in her front yard. To keep it looking its best, VanderLeest "repainted" her big cheese with just the right mix of red and yellow food coloring.

She's just one of many Packer backers in the Twin Cities going all out to prepare for Sunday's Super Bowl against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

This isn't the first time VanderLeest built a "big cheese for big occasions." In 1997, her initial cheese sculpture became a celebration platform for Packers fans after Green Bay won that year's Super Bowl. "All of a sudden, people are pulling up, dancing on top of the cheese and taking their pictures," she said.

Even before the Pack tries to repeat that feat, cheeseheads can't help but gloat over the fact that their team is playing a third Super Bowl since the Vikings' most recent appearance XXXIV years ago. And they're even gloating on deeply Purple turf.

According to Murray Parent, assistant manager of the Vikings Locker Room store in Rosedale, Wisconsin fans have been showing their Packer pride. "We've had some people coming in the past two weeks wearing all their Packers stuff," he said, "and they just walk through the store smiling and then leave."

Hitting the road

Plenty of Packers fans at least thought about going to the big game in Dallas. John Byrne of Minneapolis wasn't one of them. He decided to stay home "for the benefit of all the Packer nation," he said. He attended the Super Bowl in 1998 when the Denver Broncos beat Green Bay.

Richfield's Bradford Dobesh, who sports a Packers tattoo on his ankle, has been chasing after tickets all week. If he's successful, he's vowed to stay in his seat the entire game.

"My wife asked me what I'm going to do for the game, and I said I would be wearing Depends," he said.

Eagan's Linda Hempel will definitely be in Dallas. The day after the Packers clinched their Super Bowl berth, she booked a flight and hotel, then set about getting a ticket.

"I rolled the dice that the prices would come down as the game got closer," said Hempel, an elementary school teacher who grew up three blocks from Green Bay's Lambeau Field and, at 11, attended the famous "Ice Bowl" in 1967 (game-time temperature: 15 below).

Unfortunately for her, demand -- and prices -- for this year's Super Bowl went up, she said. After 25 hours of computer searches and negotiations, she landed a seat on the 10-yard line in the upper deck -- for $2,500. "Cinderella is going to the ball," said Hempel.

Jeff Finckler of Hugo will also be traveling to watch the game with a "championship belt" modeled after the invisible wrestling belt that Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers "puts on" after scoring a touchdown. But Finckler's destination is closer to home.

"If you can't be in Dallas," he said, "you do the next best thing and go watch the game in Green Bay."

So, after lunch Saturday at Fuzzy Thurston's, a visit to the Packers Hall of Fame at Lambeau Field and dinner at Curly's Pub, Finckler will watch the game with a gaggle of green-and-gold-clad fanatics at the Best Western, where he's staying.

Of bears, brats and beers

Most Twin Cities Packer backers will be staying closer to home. Greg Kamin is hosting a large all-ages party at his Edina photo studio, Gamut One. On tap: Wii games and a bouncy obstacle course for the younger set, a keg and chili cookoff for the adults, and a photo booth for all hands.

The bars that serve as meccas for Packers fans all season long, including Gabe's Roadhouse, Park Tavern and Herkimer Pub, will be ramping things up, as well.

On Friday afternoon at Tiffany Sports Lounge in St. Paul, they unveiled two 4-foot-tall ice sculptures: a block of cheese imprinted with a giant green "G" and a supersized Super Bowl XLV logo. On Saturday, they'll hand out a free beer to anyone who donates a piece of Brett Favre gear. (All clothes go to charity.)

On game day, Tiffany customers will have to settle for specials on green beer and Ellsworth cheese curds because "there's no way we can top the last thing we did," said manager Kevin Montpetit. When the Packers played the Bears two Sundays ago, they roasted a whole bear.

At her south Minneapolis home, VanderLeest will be doing the standard beer-and-brats thing and focusing on the game. She might not be the only one on her block rooting for the Pack, though.

"The last time [she had a cheese sculpture], the thing stayed on the lawn until about June," she said. "The Packers had better win, because the neighbors are gonna be looking at it for a long time."

StarTribune.com wrote:

Fan Shout
packerfanoutwest (1h) : NFL told Bears that Packers’ blocked field goal was legal
packerfanoutwest (17h) : 49ers are underdogs at Packers, ending streak of 36 straight games as favorites
Zero2Cool (22-Nov) : 49ers might be down their QB, DL, TE and LT?
packerfanoutwest (22-Nov) : Jaire Alexander says he has a torn PCL
Zero2Cool (20-Nov) : Even with the context it's ... what?
Mucky Tundra (20-Nov) : Matt LaFleur without context: “I don’t wanna pat you on the butt and you poop in my hand.”
beast (20-Nov) : We brought in a former Packers OL coach to help evaluate OL as a scout
beast (20-Nov) : Jets have been pretty good at picking DL
Zero2Cool (20-Nov) : He landed good players thanks to high draft slot. He isn't good.
Zero2Cool (20-Nov) : He can shove his knowledge up his ass. He knows nothing.
beast (20-Nov) : More knowledge, just like bring in the Jets head coach
Zero2Cool (19-Nov) : What? Why? Huh?
beast (19-Nov) : I wonder if the Packers might to try to bring Douglas in through Milt Hendrickson/Ravens connections
Zero2Cool (19-Nov) : The Jets fired Joe Douglas, per sources
packerfanoutwest (19-Nov) : Jets are a mess......
Zero2Cool (19-Nov) : Pretty sure Jets fired their scouting staff and just pluck former Packers.
Zero2Cool (19-Nov) : Jets sign Anders Carlson to their 53.
Zero2Cool (19-Nov) : When you cycle the weeks, the total over remains for season. But you get your W/L for that selected week. Confusing.
packerfanoutwest (19-Nov) : the total and percentage are the same as the previous weeks
packerfanoutwest (19-Nov) : the total and percentage are the same as the previous weeks
packerfanoutwest (19-Nov) : the totals are accurate..nrvrtmind
Zero2Cool (19-Nov) : I don't follow what you are saying. The totals are not the same as last week.
packerfanoutwest (19-Nov) : ok so then wht are the totals the same as last week?
Zero2Cool (19-Nov) : NFL Pick'em is auto updated when NFL Scores tab is clicked
Martha Careful (19-Nov) : The offense was OK. Let's not forget the Bear defense is very very good.
packerfanoutwest (19-Nov) : Who updates the leaderboard on NFLPickem?
beast (19-Nov) : Has the Packers offense been worse since the former Jets coach joined the Packers?
Zero2Cool (19-Nov) : Offense gets his ass in gear, this could be good.
Zero2Cool (19-Nov) : Backup QB helped with three wins. Special Teams contributed to three wins.
bboystyle (18-Nov) : Lions played outside thats why. They scored 16 and 17 in the only 2 outside games this year
Zero2Cool (18-Nov) : The rest of the NFL is catching up to Packers ... kicking is an issue throughout league
packerfanoutwest (18-Nov) : Packers DL Kenny Clark: We knew 'we were going to block' Bears' game-winning field goal attempt
Zero2Cool (18-Nov) : Lions seem to be throttling everyone, but only (only) got 24 lol maybe the rain is why
Zero2Cool (18-Nov) : Packers vs Lions game doesn't seem so bad.
beast (18-Nov) : Dennis Green "They are what we thought they were, and we let them off the hook!"
Martha Careful (17-Nov) : comment of the day Z2Cool "Bears better than we want to admit. Packers worse than we think. It's facts."
Mucky Tundra (17-Nov) : my worst case scenario: Bears fix their oline and get a coach like Johnson from the Lions and his scheme
Zero2Cool (17-Nov) : Bears get OL fixed amd we might have a problem
buckeyepackfan (17-Nov) : Pretty sure they already have scouting reports on guys who aren't even starting for their college team. The future is now for me.
buckeyepackfan (17-Nov) : I tend to let Gute and Co. Worry about the future.
beast (17-Nov) : That's great news and Packers need to keep upgrading their OL, DL and DBs this off-season, so missing one guy doesn't kill them
beast (17-Nov) : That's great news and Packers need to keep upgrading their OL, DL and DBs this off-season, so missing one guy doesn't kill them
buckeyepackfan (17-Nov) : Jaire and Evans Williams are both ACTIVE! Good news.
Martha Careful (17-Nov) : The badgers really need to change the whole offensive scheme. No draws no screens plus the quarterback is marginal
Cheesey (17-Nov) : If the Badgers had a decent QB, they would have won. The guy can't hit a wide open receiver
Martha Careful (17-Nov) : chop block
Martha Careful (17-Nov) : there was a very questionable job Block call that upon viewing replay was very borderline
beast (17-Nov) : How so? (I didn't watch)
Zero2Cool (17-Nov) : Badgers got hosed vs Oregon
packerfanoutwest (16-Nov) : damn,he hasn't played since week 2
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