Fans come from near and far to kick off Green Bay Packers training camp, including return of bike tradition
ASHWAUBENON - Wednesday morning marked the beginning of the Green Bay Packers 77th training camp, continuing a tradition that began in 1946 when Curly Lambeau was at the helm.
Now led by coach Matt LaFleur and quarterback Aaron Rodgers — who arrived for training camp looking like he "stepped off the set of 'Con Air'," — the Packers kicked off the first of many open practices over the next several weeks.
By 9 a.m. Wednesday, hundreds of fans had lined up outside Oneida Nation Gate to watch as players made their way from Lambeau Field to Ray Nitschke Field for the 10:30 a.m. practice.
If the license plates at Lambeau were any indication, fans came from near and far for the event: Wisconsin, Iowa, Arizona, Montana, Washington and Alaska, to name a few.
Making a full return this year is the American Family Insurance DreamDrive, the continuation of a storied tradition where kids bring their bikes to Lambeau each open practice day and players ride the bikes to and from practice.
DreamDrive was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It did take place last year, but COVID-19 protocols prevented players from interacting directly with kids and riding their bikes. Instead, players rode new bikes along the path to practice as kids cheered them on from the sides.
The first attendee this year arrived at 5 a.m., according to Chad Watson, the Packers director of sales and business development.
"There's nowhere like Green Bay, Wisconsin, anywhere in the United States, especially during training camp, with our practices happening right across the street here," Watson said.
Among the children who got to meet players and have them ride their bike was Chase Mahoney, a 13-year-old Packers fan and football player from Waukesha.
This is the fourth year Chase has come to Packers training camp and participated in the DreamDrive tradition. This year, his favorite player — cornerback Kabion Ento — chose him to join on the journey to the season's first practice.
Walking alongside as Ento rode his bike, Chase said they talked about football and Ento shared some advice.
"(He said) I got to keep on my grades to get scholarships to where I want to go," Chase said. "I got to keep straight, can't get in trouble, don't sneak out, do all that bad stuff."
Chase also plays cornerback and has his sights set on the University of Miami before fulfilling his ultimate dream of becoming a Packers player himself and participating in DreamDrive in that role.
"It's amazing. I get to have star players ride my bike. I get to have pictures. I get to go home with this," Chase said of the experience, holding his football adorned with the signatures of Packers players.
This sentiment was echoed by many in the crowd, including Holly Pecard.
A retired nurse who lives just a mile away from Lambeau, she's been coming to training camp for over 40 years, since her two sons were little.
"I love the Packers. It's in my blood," Pecard said. "When I come here, I think of my Dad," she added, with "happy tears" welling in her eyes.
She explained that her father was a fisherman of modest income who scored season tickets. When he passed, those tickets went to her and her sister.
Being at Lambeau also reminds Pecard of her friend Friedrich "Fred" Harrsch, a life-long Packers fan who passed away in January. He was perhaps most known for keeping the tradition of painting the "original" Packers fence on Lombardi Avenue.
This Labor Day, Pecard said, they will be painting the fence in honor of Fred.
Also in the crowd Wednesday morning was someone who's hard to miss: Bobby Anderson. Donning a cheesehead emblazoned with the words "Packer owner," he was excited to be attending his third training camp.
Anderson moved to Green Bay from Georgia three years ago, "all for my love of the Packers," he said. He's been a proud shareholder since 2011.
At training camp, he said he enjoys being around other fans and getting a good look at the new talent on the team. Being from Georgia, he's looking forward to seeing some play from defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt and linebacker Quay Walker, who were drafted out of Georgia by the Packers in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
"This defense looks real good. It's stacked. So I can't wait for preseason, can't wait to just see them out there, just see them going through the motions. You can feel that energy here, and that's what I love about it," Anderson said. "I can't wait."
The Packers will hold two more open practices this week, at 10:30 a.m. Thursday and Saturday.
During the second and third weeks of training camp, open practices will be held on Aug. 1, 2, 4, 7, 8 and 10. The times have not yet been announced.
Children are encouraged to participate in DreamDrive throughout the training camp open practices over the next several weeks by bringing their own bikes to practice in keeping with the longstanding tradition.
Contact Kelly Smits at (920) 431-3632 or ksmits@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @kellymsmits.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Green Bay Packers fans come from near and far to kick off training camp
