PEORIA, Ill. – With football around the corner, fans of the Chicago Bears and more prepared for the new season with a party on the Peoria Riverfront.
The Greater Peoria Tailgater took place Monday on the riverfront. The block party-style event included painted football fields, a mini-NFL combine for people to try their skills, food trucks, and performances from area high school marching bands and cheerleaders.
Fans at the Peoria Riverfront Museum were able to meet with members of the Chicago Bears Radio Network.
Jeff Joniak has been the radio play-by-play announcer for the Chicago Bears for more than two decades. He says he was a little surprised to hear about
“I was just asking one of the local reporters here what other teams that are interested in around here. I assumed it was going to be Indy, but unfortunately, there’s a few Packer fans down here too,” Joniak said.
Joniak says they do enjoy all football fans. He says the way to grow more Bears fans is for parents to get their kids interested in the game and team at a young age.
Peoria Riverfront Museum President and CEO John Morris says the Greater Peoria Tailgater is about more than just football, it’s about spreading the word about Peoria to a wider audience.
“The Chicago Bears are a national team. People know and follow them from all across the nation, perhaps internationally. So them hitching their wagon to us and us to them can only be a good thing,” Morris said.
Morris says that work is being done with an advertising campaign in partnership with the Chicago Bears.
Bears games on the Chicago Bears Radio Network can be heard all season long on 1470 and 100.3 WMBD.
