AARON BROWN
“Orange you glad that you attended the
WaMu Orange Bowl Fan Fest”
“Held the day before the Orange Bowl game, the 2007 Fan Fest will not only enhance the image, economy, and culture of South Florida but also showcase the players, coaches, bands, cheerleaders, and mascots of the teams that will participate in this year's 2007 FedEx Orange Bowl Championship.”
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By Aaron Brown. Photos by Aaron Brown
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Louisville and Wake Forest fans did not let the anticipation for the 2007 FedEx Orange Bowl prevent themselves from enjoying a day of fun, music and activities.
On January 1st, 2007 (A day before the Orange Bowl) Margaret Pace Park in downtown Miami held the WaMu Orange Bowl Fan Fest. The event lasted from 1 p.m. to approximately 9 p.m.
According to the FedEx Orange Bowl website “Held the day before the Orange Bowl game, the 2007 Fan Fest will not only enhance the image, economy, and culture of South Florida but also showcase the players, coaches, bands, cheerleaders, and mascots of the teams that will participate in this year's 2007 FedEx Orange Bowl Championship.”
For a price of either $15(with the official orange bowl patch) or $20 (without the patch), fans had a plethora of exhilarating options. Fans had the opportunity to get their bodies painted with their team’s colors. There were games, food, a huge movie screen to watch other games (that obviously would be less stressful to watch for these fans, then their Orange Bowl game tomorrow), take a picture with the Orange Bowl trophy. There was also live music. Radio stations were at the event giving fans the opportunities to win prizes including free tickets to WWE Raw as well as a DVD of the movie Snakes On A Plane (which was not yet set to be released until the day of the Orange Bowl).
Fans also had the privilege of interacting with alumni including Ray Buchanan, Chris Redman, and Darrell “Dr. Dunkenstein” Griffith. The Regions Bank Orange Bowl Hall Of Honor also had new inductees Turner Gill and Marvin Jones in attendance.
The most heart warming part of the day came when the 2006 Courage Award winner Ray Ray McElrathbey was introduced on the stage. Because of some family problems, McElrathbey chose to be a father figure to his younger 12 year old brother Fahmarr. While being a role model to Fahmarr he was attending Clemson University, and he was also playing for the Clemson football team. When I asked Ray Ray how someone so versatile on the field could use the same versatility off the field so flawlessly, he responded to my question with a big smile.
The live music was tantalizing. An all star cast of live bands performed there, including One Red Wall (click here to see their article), Hinder and even Rap phenom Lil Wayne. Fans of both teams flocked to the stage for these performances. It seemed, for at least a little while, the fans did not remember that they were going to battle each other the following night. When the concert ended, it seemed that the fans reverted back to their own agendas, and the anticipation for winning the game was back in full force again.
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