Lambeau Field Live puts fans 'right there with them'

Green Bay Press Gazette

Fans try out the "Virtual Lambeau" exhibit as the Green Bay Packers unveiled Lambeau Field Live, a traveling exhibit of the Pacckers' 100 years of football, outside Lambeau Field on Tuesday.

GREEN BAY – Whether standing in the middle of virtual Lambeau Field as the Packers rush out of the tunnel, getting a photo taken with Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Kramer, or rushing through the stadium tunnel themselves to the sound of Bill Jartz's announcing, fans will find plenty to experience at Lambeau Field Live.

The Packers unveiled the traveling exhibit which commemorates the team's 100th year of football Tuesday at the real Lambeau Field. The exhibit will appear at events across Wisconsin throughout the summer, but is not scheduled to be at Lambeau Field again.

The preview coincided with the opening of the Packers' three-day minicamp.

The free exhibit consists of Play 60 activities, alumni encounters, a satellite Packers Pro Shop and Packers Hall of Fame exhibit, a Lambeau Leap wall and a one-of-a-kind virtual reality display. A preview of a 10-part documentary on the Packers' 100 seasons is included and there are opportunities for fans to win prizes, including tickets and autographed merchandise.

Vic LeClair of Kimberly and Sue Last of Suamico were among the first to try Virtual Lambeau Field, which consists of headphones and a three-dimensional, 360-degree viewer that puts fans outside Lambeau and on the field before a Packers-Eagles game.

"You're right in the middle of the field. You're right there with them," LeClair said.

Mary Kay of Cincinnati was in Madison for a bicycling event and could not resist making a side trip to Green Bay. She became a football fan only a dozen years ago, but fell hard for the Packers.

"Being this close to Lambeau, I had to come," she said.

Another exhibit allowed fans to get their photos taken with Packers players and alumni — virtually. When asked, Kay's choice was immediate: "Donald Driver!"

Associated Bank, primary sponsor of Lambeau Field Live, signed Driver, Randall Cobb and Jerry Kramer to endorsement deals for the Packers' 100th season of football, and they are among the alumni and players featured in the photo booth. The Packers and Associated Bank have had a sponsor partnership for most of the team's history.

Above the traveling Lambeau Leap wall, a screen repeats the 12-minute preview of the coming 10-part documentary "Legacy: 100 Seasons of the Green Bay Packers."

"It hits you right at the heart as a Packers fan. You take it for granted sometimes," Jim Reinl of Appleton said after watching the video.

The entire exhibit is built in pods, allowing the team to pack it up and move it with relative ease.

"Fans will appreciate us bringing Lambeau Field to them for a change," said Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy.

Fans do a Lambeau leap at the Green Bay Packers unveiling of Lambeau Field Live, a traveling '100 years of football" exhibit, outside Lambeau Field on Tuesday, June 12, 2018 in Green Bay, Wis.
Adam Wesley/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

Scheduled Lambeau Field Live stops:

• Summerfest in Milwaukee, June 27 to July 1 and July 3-8. Featured alumni will include Andre Rison, June 27-29; LeRoy Butler, June 30-July 1 and July 3-4, and Doug Evans July 5-8.

• Northern Wisconsin State Fair, Chippewa Falls, July 11-15. Featured alumni will include Paul Coffman, July 11-12, and Lynn Dickey, July 13-15.

• EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh from July 23-29. Featured alumni will include Antonio Freeman, July 23-26, and Robert Brooks, July 27-29.

• Wisconsin State Fair in Milwaukee, Aug. 2-12. Featured alumni will include William Henderson, Aug. 2-4; Gilbert Brown, Aug. 5-8, and Dorsey Levens, Aug. 9-12.

• Taste of Madison in Madison, Sept. 1-2. Featured alumnus will be Gary Ellerson.

The first day at each location will include a welcome from Murphy, a presentation from team historian Cliff Christl and a performance by the Tundra Line band.