The Green Bay Packers today announced plans for the ninth 'Green Bay Packers Tailgate Tour,' set for April 15-19. This year's tour includes two stops in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, in addition to three Wisconsin stops, to visit with fans and thank them in person for their support.
The tour will make stops in Escanaba(April 15), Ironwood (April 16), Superior (April 17), Rice Lake(April 18) and Merrill(April 19), with tailgate parties held in each city to support a local non-profit organization.
Tour celebrities will include Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy, players Jarrett Bush, Brad Jones and Mason Crosby, and Packers alumni Paul Coffman, Lynn Dickey and James Lofton.
The tour will take place aboard a customized motor coach emblazoned with the logo "Green Bay Packers Tailgate Tour" and the phrase "Touching Down in Your Community." In addition to the designated locations, tour celebrities will make surprise stops as the schedule allows.
The tailgate parties will welcome the players and alumni arriving at each location at 6 p.m., and will run until 8:30 p.m., except in Merrill, where the tailgate party will take place from 12:30 to 3 p.m. A local non-profit organization will host each party which will feature food, giveaways, question-and-answer sessions and autographs. Tailgate party tickets cost $30.
General admission tickets also will be available for $5, which includes access to the Q-and-A sessions as well as tailgate party activities. Food and beverage will be available for purchase. Due to space limitations, no general admission tickets will be available in Ironwood.
One hundred percent of the Tailgate Tour proceeds will benefit the hosting organizations.
"The Packers are very excited to embark on the ninth annual Tailgate Tour," said Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy. "Thanks to the loyalty of our fans, this has been an extremely successful event for the past nine years. We're excited this year to visit the northern parts of our state, as well as the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and look forward to supporting great organizations throughout the tour."
Tickets for the tailgate parties at all locations will go on sale Friday, Feb. 28.'Green Bay Packers Tailgate Tour'* *tailgate party locations, hosting organizations and ticket information are as follows:
- Escanaba: Ruth Butler Building. To benefit Lakestate Industries. Tickets on sale at Island Resort and Casino, W399 Hwy. 2&41, Harris, Mich. Tickets also available online at www.islandresortandcasino.com.
- Ironwood: Big Powderhorn Mountain Resort. To benefit Ironwood Volunteer Fire Department. Tickets on sale at Super One Foods, 1480 E. Cloverland Dr., Ironwood, Mich.
- Superior: Superior High School. To benefit theNational Bank Commerce Spartan Sports Complex. Tickets on sale at Screen Graphics, 1327 Banks Ave., Superior.- Rice Lake: Barron County Fairgrounds. To benefit Benjamin's House. Tickets on sale at Marketplace Foods, 330 S. Main St., Rice Lake; and Rainbow Home Center, 1124 Hammond Ave., Rice Lake.- Merrill: MARC. To benefit Riverbend Trail.Tickets on sale at Merrill Chamber of Commerce, 705 N. Center Ave., Merrill; Dave's County Market, 300 E. 1st St., Merrill; and Drew's Piggly Wiggly, 3404 E. Main St., Merrill. Tickets also available online at www.merrillchamber.org.
Fans interested in 'Tailgate Tour' details are encouraged to visit www.packers.com often as tour information will be updated as the dates near.
