Bears fans pack St. Michael Football Extravaganza
By Michelle L. Quinn Post-Tribune correspondent February 5, 2012 9:56PM
Black Jack dealer Salvador Vasquez hands out chips to Patriots fan Lois Olson (middle) of Schererville during the St. Michael's Annual Super Bowl party and raffle event held at St. Michaels School Hall on Sunday February 5, 2011. | Charles Mitchell~For Sun-Times Media
Related Stories
Updated: March 7, 2012 9:49AM
SCHERERVILLE — The Bears weren’t in the Super Bowl, but you wouldn’t have known it at St. Michael the Archangel Parish’s annual Football Extravaganza.
A good majority of the revelers in the 17 different parties packed in the school gym wore their Chicago jerseys with pride Sunday. For them, this year’s Super Bowl lineup held little to no appeal.
“I’m a Bears fan, so I hate both teams,” said Ryan Hutton, of Schererville, whose orange “C” glowed like a beacon in the food line. “But I’m going to pick the Giants because I hate Eli (Manning) slightly less than (Tom) Brady.”
Mari Lynn Schu, of Highland, and Laura Fladeland, of Chicago, echoed Hutton’s sentiment. The women were hard at work looking up the numbers various relatives picked in the squares games.
“I’d rather it had been the Bears, but I guess I’d rather have the Giants,” Fladeland said.
In keeping with the agreeable tone, the diehard Extravaganza fans were just happy to be at the event, now in its 23rd year, co-chairman Rob Guetzloff.
Parishioner Kevin Burns has attended the past 10 years, and he doesn’t even like football.
“I’m just here to hang with friends and have good food,” he said. “Ryan (Hutton) here is a virgin to this event.”
Attendance was down a bit this year, Guetzloff said, whether because of the economy or sports bars having their own events. Regardless, the event raised the requisite funds for the $25,000 in raffle prizes and will have enough to funnel toward church-related projects.
Comments Click here to view or make a comment