What better way to start the second Fan Fest of the summer than with an out of state road trip to visit Colts fans down south? After an awesome Colts Fan Fest in Greensburg, we were ready to bring the Colts fun to Louisville, Kentucky!
When we arrived at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium, we were ready to setup. With this being our third event of the Summer Tour, our crew had the setup process down like pros. The inflatables were up, Colts in Motion was ready to go, and our special addition to Fan Fest in Louisville, a 35 foot zip line, was all set for some eager fans to enjoy.
Matt Overton and Adam Vinatieri arrived via helicopter, and the devoted fans who were already waiting in line greeted the players with cheers and waves. Soon after, four cheerleaders and Blue arrived. Finally, we were ready to get Fan Fest started!
Both players were looking forward to being in Louisville and meeting some Colts fans. “I’ve never been to Louisville before and I’m excited to be in a new city. It’s awesome to interact with our fans here in Kentucky,” Overton said.
“It’s fun to see the fan base we have around here and get to mingle with the people who are always supporting us,” Vinatieri added.
Loyal Colts fans Mary and Michael brought their sons Aiden and James to the Fan Fest. The family goes to every Colts event they can, and Mary told us that James, age 5, had a very special Colts memory. “On his 4th birthday, we went to training camp and he got a bunch of autographs,” Mary said. “It was the best birthday ever!” James added.
Elijah, age 9, and his brother DaQuan, age 10, were most excited about testing their football skills in the Play 60 Zone. They agreed that this was the best inflatable at Fan Fest, but when asked what the best part of the day was, DaQuan told me, “Meeting the football superstars!”
After getting autographs from players, cheerleaders, and Blue, fans had the chance to register to win Colts tickets, purchase pizza from the Papa John’s Pizza Truck and listen to the Hunter Smith Band, as the former Colts punter led the entertainment for fans once again.
“We always love the super loyal, committed fans,” Vinatieri said, and it’s no doubt there were plenty of these fans in Louisville. Vinatieri also knows a good crowd when he sees one – throughout his eight seasons with the Colts, the veteran kicker has appeared at multiple Summer Tour events, and always proves to be a favorite among the fans.
Loyal and committed fans is also something Overton knows well. “My rookie year I had a grandmother try to have me propose to her granddaughter,” Overton told me. “That’s probably the craziest thing a fan has done!”
Despite the summer heat, more than 800 fans joined us at the event. One more Fan Fest down, and one more to go! We hope to meet many more Colts fans in Fort Wayne on July 11th as we host our final event of the Summer Tour at the Three Rivers Festival, featuring players Bjoern Werner and Anthony Castonzo. Thanks for a great evening, Louisville, and here we come, Fort Wayne!
