My first trip to Green Bay was fantastic and memorable, although I would like to forget the fumble that happened right in front of me. Needless to say, everyone was silent leaving Lambeau after the loss to the Rams. I flew out with two close friends Bill Harris and Steve Velardi.

    Steve had been to Green Bay in the past so he was our tour guide on the trip. I started my trip by spending time with “Gentleman” Gerry Cooney in Newark airport @ 6am. I had met Gerry about 2 years ago, he was a gentleman then and he hasn’t changed. The four of us talked about Favre, golf, and horse racing. If you ever see Gerry, go over and say “hi” and you will see what I mean.

When we got into Green Bay I was taken back by all the Green and Gold, what a sight! I stayed at the Days Inn off of Holmgren Way so the stadium was close. We proceeded to throw around a football while walking to get my first glimpse of Lambeau Field. As we got to Lambeau, we caught AJ Hawk as he was leaving the stadium. Bill Harris quickly borrowed a “sharpie” and got AJ to sign the ball. With some coaxing from Steve, Bill finally returned the pen.    

      The stadium was breathtaking to say the least. There are many pictures of Packer greats and statues of Vince and Curly, it was awesome site! We then met up with Donna Peterman who planned out our trip for us. Donna is affiliated with Fuzzy Thurston, so she had many stories to keep us amused. On the trip we met Fuzzy and Aaron Taylor, so that was an added treat for us. Unfortunately, we were informed that Max McGee is really not doing well with some health issues. Hopefully Max will be o.k.!

Also we were told that Gilbert Brown is in great shape and often contacts the Packers about coming back, obviously that will never happen. Another bit of news that I discovered was that Koren Robinson might be a future problem for the Packers. I was told that Mrs. Robinson often goes into the Subway store across the street from Lambeau to get beer for Koren while he waits in the car. Can’t they go find a store close to home to do that? At least he’s not driving, but still, across the street from Lambeau?

      My favorite part of the trip was the stadium tour in which our guide Grant was incredible! Grant’s enthusiasm and love for the Packers was dominant through the whole tour. He had us laughing, he had our undivided attention, and he took time to talk to us after the tour as well. If you get a chance to take the stadium tour, ask for the tour that Grant is giving, you will not be disappointed.

There was one thing that was evident through the whole trip, and that was the warmth of the people of Green Bay. Everyone I met was nice and more than friendly! The people of Green Bay should be proud of themselves and their tradition, they are second to none! We attended a tailgate party at the Resch Center near Lambeau which was also fantastic. To see all the outfits and all of the green and gold was a dream come true for me.

There was something else that I thought showed class by the people of Green Bay. At the tailgate party the DJ called up a young man who just got back from Iraq. His name escapes me, but he wore a Favre jersey and a smile from ear to ear. He and the DJ spoke briefly about being home, in which people stopped to listen. After they spoke, the DJ played “Proud to be an American” in which people remained silent as if it were the National Anthem. To me, this showed once again that Packer fans and people of Green Bay are first class! This has been an experience I will never forget! If you have never been to Green Bay for a game, please do so at ALL COSTS!

Until next time, STAY SAFE